Marlissa
A feminine name possibly meaning "combination of Mary and Lisa".
Name Census estimates that about 396 living Americans carry the first name Marlissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marlissa today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marlissa births was 1992 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marlissa. 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
396
~ 1 in 865,541 Americans
Peak year
1992
25 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2012 SSA rank
#16,196
Tracked since 1958
Popularity
Marlissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marlissa 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 114 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
Marlissa 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 Marlissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marlissas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Marlissa
The name Marlissa has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, specifically from a combination of the Old German words "marah" meaning "mare" and "lissa" meaning "promise" or "vow." This suggests the name was originally a symbolic representation of a promise or vow made to the goddess associated with horses and mares.
Historically, the name first appeared in written records around the 8th century CE, primarily in regions of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. It was a popular name among the nobility and aristocracy of the time, often given to daughters as a representation of their family's status and connection to equestrian traditions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Marlissa was a noblewoman from the Frankish kingdom, Marlissa of Austrasia, who lived in the late 7th century. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her influential role in the court of King Dagobert II.
In the 11th century, a Benedictine abbess named Marlissa of Remiremont was a prominent figure in the religious and scholarly circles of the Holy Roman Empire. She was renowned for her leadership of the Abbey of Remiremont and her contributions to the preservation of ancient texts.
During the Renaissance period, Marlissa Borgia, a member of the infamous Borgia family, made a name for herself as a skilled diplomat and negotiator. She played a crucial role in facilitating alliances and treaties between the Papal States and other European powers in the 15th century.
In the 17th century, Marlissa von Stein was a German noblewoman and philanthropist who dedicated her life to establishing schools and educational institutions for underprivileged children. Her legacy continues to inspire efforts towards promoting education and social welfare.
Another notable figure was Marlissa Delacroix, a French painter and sculptor from the 19th century. She was known for her striking portraits and her contributions to the Realist movement in art. Her works are displayed in prestigious museums around the world.
While the name Marlissa has waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries, it has maintained a certain historical significance and connection to its Germanic roots, representing a promise or vow that has echoed through generations.
People
Marlissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlissa 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
Marlissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 396 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marlissa 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 865,541 US residents.
Is Marlissa a common name?
We classify Marlissa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 420 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marlissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Marlissa was 1992, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marlissa is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marlissa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marlissa 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.