Marlisa
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of Mary and Lisa.
Name Census estimates that about 725 living Americans carry the first name Marlisa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marlisa today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marlisa births was 1989 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marlisa. 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
725
~ 1 in 472,765 Americans
Peak year
1989
28 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,016
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Marlisa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marlisa from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 197 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marlisa 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 Marlisa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marlisas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Marlisa
The name Marlisa is a relatively modern combination of the names Maria and Lisa, both of which have deep historical roots. Maria is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Miryam, which is believed to have originated from the Egyptian words "mer" meaning "beloved" and "iam" meaning "sea of bitterness." This name gained widespread popularity due to its association with the Virgin Mary in Christianity.
Lisa, on the other hand, has its origins in the Hebrew name Elisheva, which means "God is my oath." It is a shortened form of the name Elizabeth, which was borne by the mother of John the Baptist in the New Testament. The name Lisa gained popularity in medieval Europe, particularly in Italy and France.
While the name Marlisa itself does not have a long historical record, it is a relatively recent combination of these two older names. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marlisa dates back to the late 20th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne variations of the names Maria and Lisa, but not many with the specific combination of Marlisa. Here are a few examples:
1. Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718-1799), an Italian mathematician and philosopher, considered one of the pioneers of modern calculus.
2. Lisa del Giocondo (c. 1479-1542), the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, the Mona Lisa.
3. Maria Theresa (1717-1780), the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last Holy Roman Empress.
4. Lisa Kudrow (born 1963), an American actress best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay on the popular TV sitcom "Friends."
5. Maria Callas (1923-1977), a renowned Greek-American opera singer, considered one of the most influential and renowned sopranos of the 20th century.
While the name Marlisa may not have a long and illustrious history, it is a harmonious blend of two names with deep cultural and religious significance, each with its own rich tapestry of historical references and notable figures.
People
Marlisa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlisa 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
Marlisa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlisa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 725 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marlisa 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 472,765 US residents.
Is Marlisa a common name?
We classify Marlisa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 796 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marlisa most popular?
The single biggest year for Marlisa was 1989, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marlisa is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marlisa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marlisa 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.