Cherisa
A feminine name derived from Greek meaning "graceful, beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 165 living Americans carry the first name Cherisa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cherisa today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cherisa births was 1976 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cherisa. 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
165
~ 1 in 2,077,299 Americans
Peak year
1976
13 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1992 SSA rank
#13,696
Tracked since 1966
Popularity
Cherisa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cherisa from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 77 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Cherisa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cherisa 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 Cherisa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cherisas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cherisa
The name Cherisa is a feminine given name that is believed to have originated from a combination of the French word "chérie," meaning "beloved" or "darling," and the Greek name "Eris," which means "strife" or "discord." Its origins can be traced back to the late 19th or early 20th century.
The name Cherisa is not found in any ancient texts or religious scriptures, as it is a relatively modern invention. However, it shares similarities with the French name Chérie, which has been in use since the 16th century and was derived from the Old French word "chiere," meaning "face" or "countenance."
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Cherisa is from the early 20th century, when it was given to a character in the novel "The Broken Road" by A.E.W. Mason, published in 1907. In the book, Cherisa is the name of a young woman who becomes involved in a romantic entanglement.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who have borne the name Cherisa. One of the earliest was Cherisa Miller (1900-1976), an American author and journalist who wrote several books on travel and outdoor living. Another was Cherisa Dillon (1928-2004), a British actress and writer who appeared in several television series and films in the 1950s and 1960s.
In the realm of sports, Cherisa Munoz (born 1979) is a former professional tennis player from Mexico who reached a career-high ranking of No. 67 in the world. Cherisa Rogers (born 1982) is an American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA and overseas.
Cherisa Allen (born 1972) is an American model and actress who has appeared in several television shows and films, including the movie "The Wedding Planner" in 2001. She is perhaps one of the more well-known individuals with this name in recent decades.
People
Cherisa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cherisa 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
Cherisa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cherisa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 165 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cherisa 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 2,077,299 US residents.
Is Cherisa a common name?
We classify Cherisa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 178 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cherisa most popular?
The single biggest year for Cherisa was 1976, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cherisa is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cherisa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cherisa 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.