Raisa
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "bountiful" or "prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 1,254 living Americans carry the first name Raisa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Raisa today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raisa births was 1988 (94 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raisa. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 273,329 Americans
Peak year
1988
94 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,847
Tracked since 1962
Popularity
Raisa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raisa from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 374 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Raisa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raisa 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 Raisa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raisas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Raisa, while Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 61 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Raisa
The name Raisa has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "ra'isat," which means "leader" or "chief." The name is believed to have been in use since the early Islamic era, around the 7th century CE.
Raisa was a relatively uncommon name in the early centuries of Islam, but it gained popularity in the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of the 9th century Arabic scholar, Ibn Qutaybah, who mentioned a woman named Raisa in his work on Arabic grammar.
The name Raisa is not explicitly mentioned in the Quran or other Islamic scriptures, but its meaning of "leader" or "chief" aligns with the values and principles of Islamic leadership. There are references to women in positions of authority and influence in early Islamic history, which may have contributed to the use of this name.
One of the most notable historical figures named Raisa was Raisa Andreyevna Gorbacheva (1932-1999), the wife of the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. She played a prominent role in promoting social and humanitarian causes during her husband's tenure as the leader of the Soviet Union.
Another famous bearer of the name was Raisa Smetanina (1928-2022), a Soviet and Russian actress who had a long and successful career in theatre, film, and television. She was a recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the prestigious People's Artist of the USSR award.
In the world of literature, Raisa Vasilyevna Nemchinova (1899-1972) was a Russian and Soviet writer and literary critic. She is best known for her works on the lives and works of Russian writers, including Fyodor Dostoevsky and Ivan Turgenev.
Another notable figure was Raisa Svirskaya (1927-2008), a Soviet and Russian actress who appeared in numerous films and stage productions during her career. She was particularly acclaimed for her portrayal of strong and resilient women characters.
Raisa Makkonen (1954-2020) was a Finnish artist and ceramic sculptor who gained international recognition for her unique and innovative ceramics. Her works were exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and she received several prestigious awards and honors during her lifetime.
People
Raisa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raisa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Raisa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raisa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,254 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raisa 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 273,329 US residents.
Is Raisa a common name?
We classify Raisa as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,291 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raisa most popular?
The single biggest year for Raisa was 1988, when 94 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raisa is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Raisa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raisa 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.