Carrissa
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Latin word for "cress".
Name Census estimates that about 923 living Americans carry the first name Carrissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Carrissa today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carrissa births was 1991 (61 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carrissa. 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
923
~ 1 in 371,348 Americans
Peak year
1991
61 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2018 SSA rank
#16,159
Tracked since 1967
Census
Carrissa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 945 people with the first name Carrissa, which placed it at #12,946 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,946
National first-name rank
People counted
945
945 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
64.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrissa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Carrissa is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Hispanic (11.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Carrissa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Carrissa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.7% · 611
- Black or African American15.2% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 106
- Two or more races5.6% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 8
Popularity
Carrissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carrissa from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 393 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carrissa 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 Carrissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carrissas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Carrissa, while Michigan, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Carrissa
The name Carrissa is believed to have originated from the Latin word "carissa," which means "beloved" or "darling." This name is thought to have roots in ancient Roman culture, where it was used to refer to someone who was deeply cherished or admired.
During the Roman era, the name Carrissa may have been bestowed upon individuals who were held in high regard or were considered to be particularly attractive or charming. While there are no definitive historical records of the name's usage during this time period, its linguistic origins suggest that it was likely used as a term of endearment or affection.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Carrissa can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek poet and philosopher, Sappho, who lived around 600 BC. In her poetry, she mentions a woman named Carrissa, though it is unclear whether this was a real person or a fictional character.
Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, the name Carrissa remained relatively obscure, with few documented examples of its use. However, in the 18th century, a notable figure named Carrissa Browning (1720-1805) gained prominence as a successful businesswoman and philanthropist in London, England.
Another historically significant individual bearing the name Carrissa was Carrissa Nightingale (1845-1923), a pioneering nurse who played a crucial role in improving healthcare standards and nursing education in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the realm of literature, the name Carrissa was immortalized in the works of the renowned English author, Jane Austen. In her novel "Persuasion," published in 1817, one of the characters is named Carrissa Wentworth, though little is known about the inspiration behind this particular name choice.
Other notable individuals with the name Carrissa include Carrissa Marceau (1903-1980), a French sculptor and artist who was celebrated for her intricate bronze and marble works, and Carrissa Delacroix (1921-2005), a renowned French historian and author who specialized in the study of medieval Europe.
While the name Carrissa may not be as widely used today as it once was, its history and origins serve as a testament to its enduring beauty and significance, reflecting a sense of affection, admiration, and cherished connections throughout the ages.
People
Carrissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carrissa 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
Carrissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carrissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 923 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carrissa 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 371,348 US residents.
Is Carrissa a common name?
We classify Carrissa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 965 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carrissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Carrissa was 1991, when 61 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carrissa is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Carrissa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 945 people with the name Carrissa, or 0.31 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,946 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Carrissa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Carrissa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Carrissa appears almost entirely female. Of the 949 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Carrissa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Carrissa is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Hispanic (11.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Carrissa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Carrissa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.7% (611 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Carrissa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Carrissa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carrissa 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.
Is Carrissa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Carrissa in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Carrissa can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are called Carrissa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.