Caressa
A feminine name derived from the word "caress", meaning tender or affectionate.
Name Census estimates that about 1,148 living Americans carry the first name Caressa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Caressa today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caressa births was 1987 (69 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caressa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 298,566 Americans
Peak year
1987
69 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2014 SSA rank
#9,672
Tracked since 1956
Popularity
Caressa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caressa from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 465 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caressa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Caressa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Caressas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Caressa, while Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caressa
The name Caressa has its roots in the Italian language, originating from the Latin word "carissa" which means "beloved" or "darling." It is believed to have been derived from the Latin word "carus," meaning dear or beloved. The name gained popularity during the Renaissance period in Italy, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria.
Caressa was a name often found in literary works and poetry of the time, as it was associated with the ideals of beauty, grace, and love. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of the renowned Italian poet, Petrarch, who lived from 1304 to 1374. He used the name Caressa in his sonnets to symbolize the beauty and charm of his beloved.
In the 15th century, Caressa was the name of a noblewoman from the House of Medici, a powerful Italian banking family and political dynasty. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of Renaissance artists and scholars.
During the 16th century, Caressa Farnese (1515-1592) was a prominent figure in Italian history. She was the daughter of Pope Paul III and served as the Duchess of Parma and Piacenza. Her influence extended beyond the political realm, and she was a renowned patron of the arts, commissioning works from notable artists of the time.
Another notable figure with the name Caressa was Caressa Buonarroti (1563-1642), a Florentine noblewoman and the daughter of the famous artist and sculptor, Michelangelo Buonarroti. She played a significant role in preserving and promoting her father's legacy, ensuring the preservation of his works and correspondence.
In the realm of literature, Caressa Stampa (1506-1554) was an Italian Renaissance poet and writer. Her poetic works, which explored themes of love and passion, were widely celebrated during her lifetime and continue to be studied and appreciated by scholars today.
While the name Caressa was once a popular choice in Italy, its usage has declined in recent centuries. However, its rich history and associations with Renaissance culture, art, and literature have secured its place as a name with a deep and meaningful heritage.
People
Caressa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caressa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Caressa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caressa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,148 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caressa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 298,566 US residents.
Is Caressa a common name?
We classify Caressa as "Rare". It ranks above 91% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,218 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caressa most popular?
The single biggest year for Caressa was 1987, when 69 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caressa is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Caressa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caressa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.