Clarrissa
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "bright, brilliant, or illustrious".
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the first name Clarrissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Clarrissa today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clarrissa births was 1994 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clarrissa. 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
337
~ 1 in 1,017,075 Americans
Peak year
1994
17 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2004 SSA rank
#10,882
Tracked since 1907
Popularity
Clarrissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clarrissa from the 1900s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 126 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Clarrissa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clarrissa 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 Clarrissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Clarrissas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Clarrissa
Clarrissa is a feminine given name derived from the Latin name Clarissa, which itself is a feminized form of the Roman family name Clarus. Clarus means "bright" or "clear" in Latin, reflecting the name's association with light, brilliance, and clarity.
The name Clarrissa emerged during the medieval period in Europe, particularly in regions influenced by Roman culture and the Latin language. It was a popular name among the nobility and upper classes, who often chose names with classical roots to reflect their status and education.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Clarrissa can be found in the 12th century, when St. Clare of Assisi, an Italian nun and follower of St. Francis of Assisi, was born with the name Chiara. Her name was later Latinized to Clarissa, which became the basis for the name Clarrissa.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Clarrissa. One of the most famous was Clarrissa Harlowe, the protagonist of the 18th-century novel "Clarissa" by Samuel Richardson (1689-1761). The novel, considered one of the earliest examples of the modern novel form, helped popularize the name in English-speaking countries.
Another prominent figure was Clarrissa Shropshire (1913-1973), an American civil rights activist and educator who played a significant role in the desegregation of schools in South Carolina. She was a key figure in the landmark Supreme Court case Briggs v. Elliott, which later became part of the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
In the literary world, Clarrissa Pinkola Estés (born 1945) is a renowned author, poet, and Jungian psychoanalyst best known for her book "Women Who Run With the Wolves," which explores the archetypal nature of women through the lens of folk tales and mythology.
Clarrissa Chatenay (1917-2018) was a French fashion designer and entrepreneur who founded the eponymous luxury fashion brand Chatenay. She was known for her elegant and sophisticated designs, which were favored by the French elite and international celebrities.
Lastly, Clarrissa Dalrymple (1734-1798) was a British courtier and author who served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. She is best known for her lively and insightful correspondence, which provides a valuable glimpse into the social and political life of 18th-century England.
People
Clarrissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clarrissa 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
Clarrissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clarrissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 337 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clarrissa 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 1,017,075 US residents.
Is Clarrissa a common name?
We classify Clarrissa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 384 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clarrissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Clarrissa was 1994, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clarrissa is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Clarrissa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clarrissa 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.