Kerissa
Of Greek origin, signifying "she who belongs to the sun".
Name Census estimates that about 484 living Americans carry the first name Kerissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kerissa today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kerissa births was 1994 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kerissa. 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
484
~ 1 in 708,170 Americans
Peak year
1994
29 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2019 SSA rank
#16,807
Tracked since 1975
Census
Kerissa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 459 people with the first name Kerissa, which placed it at #21,899 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
#21,899
National first-name rank
People counted
459
459 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
64.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kerissa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kerissa is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Hispanic (10.5%). 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 Kerissa 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 Kerissa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.7% · 297
- Black or African American14.8% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 48
- Two or more races5.2% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 10
Popularity
Kerissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kerissa from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 190 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
Kerissa 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 Kerissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kerissas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kerissa
The name Kerissa is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the word "kera," meaning "horn." It is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, where horns were symbolic of power, strength, and fertility.
In Greek mythology, Kerissa was the name of a nymph who was associated with the goddess Artemis, known for her hunting prowess and her ability to protect women during childbirth. The name was likely used as a tribute to this mythological figure, with parents bestowing it upon their daughters in hopes of imparting similar qualities of strength and protection.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kerissa can be traced back to the 5th century BCE, where it appeared in ancient Greek texts and inscriptions. One notable example is a reference to a woman named Kerissa in Herodotus' "Histories," a seminal work of Greek historiography.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Kerissa. One such individual was Kerissa of Corinth (c. 450 BCE - 390 BCE), a renowned philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of geometry and the concept of infinity.
Another notable Kerissa was Kerissa of Ephesus (c. 120 CE - 180 CE), a Christian martyr who was revered for her unwavering faith and courage in the face of persecution. Her story is recounted in the writings of early Church historians, and she is celebrated as a saint in various Christian traditions.
During the Byzantine Empire, a notable figure named Kerissa (c. 850 CE - 920 CE) served as a high-ranking court official and advisor to several emperors. She was widely respected for her wisdom, diplomacy, and dedication to the empire's affairs.
In the 12th century, Kerissa of Venice (c. 1120 - 1190) was a prominent merchant and trader who played a pivotal role in establishing trade routes between Venice and the Eastern Mediterranean. Her business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit made her a respected figure in the maritime world of the time.
Another notable Kerissa was Kerissa of Antioch (c. 1230 - 1310), a renowned scholar and physician who made significant contributions to the field of medicine. Her writings on herbal remedies and medical practices were widely studied and influential during the Middle Ages.
While the name Kerissa has its roots in ancient Greece, it has been used across various cultures and regions throughout history, each adding their own unique interpretations and associations to this powerful and symbolic name.
People
Kerissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kerissa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kerissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kerissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 484 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kerissa 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 708,170 US residents.
Is Kerissa a common name?
We classify Kerissa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 502 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kerissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Kerissa was 1994, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kerissa is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kerissa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 459 people with the name Kerissa, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,899 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 Kerissa 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 Kerissa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kerissa appears almost entirely female. Of the 456 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Kerissa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kerissa is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Hispanic (10.5%). 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 Kerissa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kerissa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.7% (297 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 Kerissa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kerissa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kerissa 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 Kerissa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kerissa 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 Kerissa 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 common is the name Kerissa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.