Maresa
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly a portmanteau of Maria and Teresa.
Name Census estimates that about 550 living Americans carry the first name Maresa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maresa today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maresa births was 1995 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maresa. 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
550
~ 1 in 623,190 Americans
Peak year
1995
23 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2017 SSA rank
#17,497
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Maresa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maresa from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 170 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
Maresa 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 Maresa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maresas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Maresa
The name Maresa is believed to have its origins in the Italian language, derived from the Latin word "mare," meaning "sea." It is likely that the name emerged during the medieval period, potentially as a feminine form of the Italian name Marino, which also means "of the sea."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maresa can be found in the writings of the 13th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri, who mentioned a character named Maresa in his famous work, the Divine Comedy. This reference suggests that the name was in use during the late Middle Ages in Italy.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Maresa. One such figure was Maresa Tomei (1512-1588), an Italian Renaissance painter known for her portraits and religious works. Another was Maresa Carafa (1556-1618), a prominent Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts during the late Renaissance period.
In the 18th century, Maresa Agnesi (1718-1799) was an influential Italian mathematician, philosopher, and theologian. She is renowned for her work in calculus and for being one of the first women to receive widespread recognition in the field of mathematics.
Moving into the 20th century, Maresa Ganapolskaya (1902-1986) was a Russian-born ballerina who performed with the Mariinsky Ballet and later became a renowned teacher, passing on her expertise to generations of dancers.
Another notable figure with the name Maresa was Maresa del Portillo (1920-2004), a Spanish writer and poet who was awarded the prestigious Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1994 for her contributions to Spanish literature.
While the name Maresa may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and connections to the Italian language, literature, and various artistic and intellectual pursuits make it a name with a fascinating and multifaceted heritage.
People
Maresa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maresa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maresa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maresa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 550 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maresa 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 623,190 US residents.
Is Maresa a common name?
We classify Maresa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 586 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maresa most popular?
The single biggest year for Maresa was 1995, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maresa is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maresa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maresa 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.