Talissa
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "gently born".
Name Census estimates that about 391 living Americans carry the first name Talissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Talissa today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Talissa births was 1990 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Talissa. 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
391
~ 1 in 876,610 Americans
Peak year
1990
31 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2017 SSA rank
#18,170
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Talissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Talissa from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 163 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
Talissa 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 Talissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Talissas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Talissa
The name Talissa has its origins in the ancient Greek language, dating back to the 5th century BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "thalassa," which means "sea" or "ocean." This could suggest that the name may have been associated with maritime communities or those living near the coastlines of the Mediterranean region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Talissa can be found in the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato, who mentioned a woman with this name in his dialogues. However, details about this individual are scarce, and it is unclear whether this was a real person or a fictional character created for philosophical discourse.
During the Byzantine era, which lasted from the 4th to the 15th century, the name Talissa appeared in various historical records and chronicles. One notable bearer of the name was Talissa of Constantinople, a noblewoman who lived in the 9th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature.
In the medieval period, the name Talissa gained popularity among certain Christian communities, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean regions. Saint Talissa, a 12th-century nun and mystic from the island of Cyprus, was revered for her piety and devotion to religious life.
Moving forward, the name Talissa can be found in various historical accounts and records throughout the centuries. Talissa Venetian, an Italian painter and portraitist from the 16th century, was renowned for her exquisite depictions of the Venetian nobility. Talissa Antoinette, a French philosopher and writer in the 18th century, was known for her influential works on social reform and women's rights.
Another notable figure was Talissa Alexandrine, a 19th-century archaeologist and explorer from Greece, who made significant contributions to the understanding of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations through her excavations and discoveries.
Lastly, Talissa Margarita, a Spanish poet and activist from the early 20th century, gained recognition for her powerful writings that addressed social injustice and advocated for the rights of marginalized communities.
While the name Talissa has maintained a certain level of use throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to other names, adding to its unique and distinctive character.
People
Talissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Talissa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Talissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Talissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 391 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Talissa 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 876,610 US residents.
Is Talissa a common name?
We classify Talissa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 406 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Talissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Talissa was 1990, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Talissa is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Talissa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Talissa 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.