Laressa
A feminine name of possible Greek origin, Laressa means "sea breeze".
Name Census estimates that about 238 living Americans carry the first name Laressa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Laressa today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Laressa births was 1985 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Laressa. 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
238
~ 1 in 1,440,144 Americans
Peak year
1985
15 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2000 SSA rank
#16,444
Tracked since 1965
Popularity
Laressa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Laressa from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 100 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Laressa 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 Laressa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Laressa
The name Laressa is believed to have originated from a combination of Latin and Greek roots. The Latin root "lares" refers to household gods or deities that protected the home and family, while the Greek root "essa" means "princess" or "noble lady".
This name likely emerged during the Late Antiquity or Early Medieval period, when the influence of Latin and Greek cultures was still strong in parts of Europe and the Mediterranean region. It may have been used to honor a female of noble birth or to invoke the protection of household deities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Laressa can be found in a 9th-century manuscript from a monastery in southern Italy. The manuscript mentions a noblewoman named Laressa who made a significant donation to the monastery.
In the 12th century, a Benedictine abbess named Laressa is mentioned in the chronicles of a monastery in central France. She was known for her piety and leadership in the religious community.
During the Renaissance period, a prominent Italian humanist and scholar named Laressa Strozzi (1508-1567) gained recognition for her contributions to literature and philosophy. She was part of the intellectual circles in Florence and was highly regarded for her erudition.
In the 18th century, a French botanist and explorer, Laressa Delessert (1773-1847), made significant contributions to the study of plant life. She collected and documented numerous plant specimens during her travels and is credited with discovering several new species.
Another notable figure with this name was Laressa von Westphalen (1814-1893), a German noblewoman and feminist activist. She was a close friend and confidante of Karl Marx and played a crucial role in the early feminist movement in Germany.
These historical examples demonstrate the enduring presence of the name Laressa across different regions and time periods, often associated with individuals of noble or scholarly backgrounds.
People
Laressa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Laressa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Laressa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laressa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 238 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Laressa 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 1,440,144 US residents.
Is Laressa a common name?
We classify Laressa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 257 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Laressa most popular?
The single biggest year for Laressa was 1985, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Laressa is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Laressa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Laressa 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.