Clarissa
A feminine name derived from the Late Latin "Clara" meaning "bright" or "clear".
Name Census estimates that about 35,636 living Americans carry the first name Clarissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Clarissa today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clarissa births was 1995 (1,201 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clarissa. 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
36K
~ 1 in 9,618 Americans
Peak year
1995
1,201 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1994 SSA rank
#1,159
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Clarissa
Out of the 40,289 babies given the name Clarissa since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Clarissa as a male name
- Ranked #9,035 in 1994
- 5 male births in 1994
- Peak: 1985 (6 births)
Clarissa as a female name
- Ranked #1,159 in 2024
- 207 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1995 (1,201 births)
Popularity
Clarissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clarissa from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 10,601 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
Clarissa 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 Clarissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Clarissas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 47 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Clarissa, while New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 736 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Clarissa
The name Clarissa has its origins in the Latin language and can be traced back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "clarus," which means bright, clear, or famous. The name is a feminine form of the male name Clarus.
In ancient Rome, the name Clarissa was not widely used, but it did appear in historical records and inscriptions. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name dates back to the 2nd century AD, when it was borne by a Roman woman named Clarissa Paulina, who was a member of a noble family.
The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in Italy and other parts of Europe that were influenced by Latin culture. It was often given to girls born into aristocratic families, as the meaning of "bright" or "famous" was seen as a desirable attribute.
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Clarissa was Clarissa Harlowe, the protagonist of the 18th-century novel "Clarissa" by Samuel Richardson. The novel, published in 1748, is considered one of the earliest examples of the epistolary novel form and was highly influential in the development of the novel as a literary genre.
Another notable Clarissa in history was Clarissa Munger Badger Bates, an American educator and reformer who lived from 1828 to 1895. She was a pioneer in the establishment of kindergartens in the United States and played a significant role in promoting early childhood education.
In the realm of literature, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, an American poet and author born in 1945, is known for her book "Women Who Run With the Wolves," which explores the importance of storytelling and the power of women's narratives.
Clarissa Darling, born in 1870, was a British actress and singer who gained fame in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for her performances in musical comedies and operettas.
Clarissa Ward, born in 1980, is a contemporary American journalist and chief international correspondent for CNN. She has reported from various conflict zones around the world and has received numerous awards for her courageous and insightful reporting.
People
Clarissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clarissa 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
Clarissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clarissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 35,636 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clarissa 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 9,618 US residents.
Is Clarissa a common name?
We classify Clarissa as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 40,289 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clarissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Clarissa was 1995, when 1,201 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clarissa is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Clarissa a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Clarissa 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.