Norissa
Of unknown origin, likely a feminine variation of a Germanic name.
Name Census estimates that about 55 living Americans carry the first name Norissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Norissa today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Norissa births was 1985 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Norissa. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Norissa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
55
~ 1 in 6,231,897 Americans
Peak year
1985
7 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2016 SSA rank
#18,140
Tracked since 1981
Census
Norissa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 138 people with the first name Norissa, which placed it at #47,373 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
#47,373
National first-name rank
People counted
138
138 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
34.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norissa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Norissa is White at 34.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Hispanic (19.6%). 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 Norissa 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 Norissa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White34.1% · 47
- Black or African American26.8% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino19.6% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.9% · 15
- Two or more races5.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 4
Popularity
Norissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Norissa from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 27 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
Norissa 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 Norissa 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 Norissa
The name Norissa is believed to have its origins in the ancient Greek language. It is derived from the Greek word "noros," which means "clear" or "pure." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who were perceived as having a pure or virtuous character.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Norissa can be found in the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato, who lived from 428 BC to 348 BC. In his work "The Republic," he mentions a character named Norissa, although little is known about the specific details or significance of this reference.
During the Byzantine era, which spanned from the 4th to the 15th century AD, the name Norissa gained popularity among Greek-speaking populations in the Eastern Mediterranean region. It was particularly prevalent in areas such as Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and other Byzantine territories.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Norissa was a Byzantine noblewoman who lived in the 11th century AD. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of religious institutions within the Byzantine Empire.
In the later centuries, the name Norissa spread to other parts of Europe, particularly in regions with Greek cultural influence. For example, there are records of individuals named Norissa living in Italy during the Renaissance period, which spanned from the 14th to the 17th century.
Another noteworthy individual named Norissa was a Greek painter who lived in the 16th century. She was renowned for her skilled depictions of religious scenes and portraits, and her works can still be found in various art galleries and museums throughout Europe.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Norissa experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among individuals of Greek descent living in various parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Norissa Papadopoulos, a Greek-American author and poet who lived from 1842 to 1912.
Another notable figure was Norissa Konstantinidis, a Greek educator and activist who lived from 1875 to 1958. She was instrumental in establishing educational opportunities for women in Greece and promoting women's rights during that era.
While the name Norissa has its roots in ancient Greek culture, it has since been adopted and used by individuals from various backgrounds and ethnicities around the world. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of the Greek language and its ancient civilizations.
People
Norissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Norissa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Norissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Norissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 55 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Norissa 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 6,231,897 US residents.
Is Norissa a common name?
We classify Norissa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 57 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Norissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Norissa was 1985, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Norissa is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Norissa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 138 people with the name Norissa, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,373 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 Norissa 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 Norissa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Norissa appears almost entirely female. Of the 144 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Norissa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Norissa is White at 34.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Hispanic (19.6%). 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 Norissa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Norissa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.1% (47 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 Norissa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Norissa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Norissa 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 Norissa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Norissa 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 Norissa 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 many people have the name Norissa?
Want to know how many people share the name Norissa? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.