Clarissa
English · Girl · 3 syllables
Popularity & facts
Relative popularity index, 2010–2025Popularity over time
Popularity indexHistorical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data
About the name Clarissa
Clarissa derives from the Latin "clarus," meaning "bright" or "clear," and was popularized through the feminine form "Clarissa" in Romance languages.
Cross-referenced with Behind the Name and Wikidata/Wikipedia. AI-assisted, community-reviewable. Suggest an improvement.
Etymology
Clarissa derives from the Latin "clarus," meaning "bright" or "clear," and was popularized through the feminine form "Clarissa" in Romance languages. The name gained prominence in English-speaking and European cultures, particularly through Samuel Richardson's 1748 novel *Clarissa*, and has been used across Christian-majority societies without restriction to a specific religion.
Clarissa currently ranks #1,114 in the United States as a girl's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1995.
Variants & nicknames
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Sibling name ideas
English, Italian names that sit beautifully beside ClarissaSimilar names you might like
Names starting with CMore names starting with C
- Calleigh
- Caila
- Caileigh
- Cailin
- Cally
- Caleigh
- Caitie
- Calla
- Cailyn
- Cadence
- Calliope
- Caitriona
- Cadan
- Caius
- Cal
- Calaeb
- Caelum
- Caidin
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Names that sound like Clarissa
Phonetic match, not just spelling"Clarisse derives from the Latin name Clarissa, which comes from the root "clarus" meaning "bright" or "clear." The name is…"
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"The name Clarice means "bright" or "famous," derived from the Latin *clarus* (clear, bright) via the medieval feminine form Claritia."
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"Clarius derives from the Latin adjective "clarus," meaning "clear," "bright," or "famous," and is the Latinized form of this root."
"Clarysse is a variant spelling of Clarice, derived from the Latin "Clarus," meaning "bright" or "clear," combined with the feminine…"
"The name 'Claris' is a variant of 'Clara' or 'Clarice,' derived from the Latin *clarus* meaning "bright," "clear," or "famous."…"
"The name 'Clarys' is a variant of 'Clarice', derived from the Latin *clarus* meaning "bright, clear, or famous." It is…"
"Claire-Agnès combines two Latin-rooted names: Claire derives from *clarus* meaning "bright" or "clear," while Agnès comes from *agnus* meaning "lamb,"…"
"Claire-Charlotte is a French compound name combining "Claire" (from Latin *clarus*, meaning "clear" or "bright") and "Charlotte" (from the Germanic…"