Clarissa

Meaning: Bright, clear, famous
Origin: Italian (from Latin) — Variant of Clara

Girl's name · #1114 in the US (2025) · 90s wave

Popularity over time

Clarissa's best rank, #237, came in 1994; it has settled back to #1114 today. Roughly 40,000 girls have been named Clarissa since 1880.

Across the states

See where Clarissa is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 15 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Clarissa ranks in other countries and regions.

#479 in Austria (2025) · #810 in Switzerland (2025) · #958 in Mexico (2024) · #1,251 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,370 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,732 in Canada (2024).

Famous Clarissas

Clarissa Pinkola Estés — American psychoanalyst and writer
Clarissa Ward — American journalist
Clarissa Chun — American sport wrestler
Clarissa dos Santos — Brazilian basketball player
Clarissa Allen — American author and educator (1859–1941)

In stories & tradition

Clarissa von Anstetten — Verbotene Liebe (TV series)
Clarissa Harlowe — Clarissa (book)
Clarissa — Die drei Pintos (musical stage work)

What Clarissas become

Among 199 notable people named Clarissa:

Similar names: Clarice · Alyson · Klarity · Larissa · Marissa · Alissa

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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