Total births
40,484
Girls' name · since 1880
Clarissa
Clarissa has 40,484 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1995 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1161
- among girls today
- 40,484
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Clarissa currently ranks #1161 among girls' names in America, with 40,484 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Clarissa has been recorded 40,484 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #1161 nationally and more common than 93% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1161 among girls today
- 40,484 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 93% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Clarissa is currently the #1161 girls' name in America, more common than 93% of girls - 40,484 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1161
- among girls today
- 40,484
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Clarissa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1161
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 93% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Clarissa was born in this single decade.
1995
Single peak year
1,201 babies were named Clarissa in 1995 - its busiest year on record.
How Clarissa compares
40,484 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Clarissa's all-time total is 106x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Clarissa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 40,484 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,201 | 48 | 19,840 |
Clarissa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Clarissa splits its recorded history at 1953: 92% of all births land in the more recent half, 8% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1880 (10 births) -- compare that against the 1995 peak of 1,201 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Clarissa at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1995
Current rank
#1,161
Active since
1880
Clarissa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1995)
- 1,201
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Clarissa popularity over time - boys
21 total births recorded since 1985 (Clarissa as boys' name)
Clarissa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Clarissa's strongest decade.
10,592 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Clarissa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 133
1880s
133 births
- 1890s 221
1890s
221 births
- 1900s 252
1900s
252 births
- 1910s 596
1910s
596 births
- 1920s 663
1920s
663 births
- 1930s 512
1930s
512 births
- 1940s 680
1940s
680 births
- 1950s 1,402
1950s
1,402 births
- 1960s 2,323
1960s
2,323 births
- 1970s 3,473
1970s
3,473 births
- 1980s
1980s
6,374 births
- 1990s
1990s
10,592 births
- 2000s
2000s
7,558 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,266 births
- 2020s 1,439
2020s
1,439 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 10,592 births (26% of all-time use).
How Clarissa compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Clarissa's total volume
Clarissa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Clarissa by state
Where Clarissa concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 7,755 | 19.2% |
| #2 | California | | 7,209 | 17.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 2,014 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 1,502 | 3.7% |
| #5 | Arizona | | 1,344 | 3.3% |
| #6 | Florida | | 1,174 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,118 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 1,098 | 2.7% |
Texas share of Clarissa's total US births 19.2%
Even split
7,755 of 40,484 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Clarissa appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Clarissa? ▼
Clarissa has been given to 40,484 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1161 as of the latest data. 1,201 babies were born in 1995, its single highest year.
When was Clarissa most popular? ▼
Clarissa was most popular in the 1990s decade with 10,592 total births. The single peak year was 1995.
Where is Clarissa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Clarissa are Texas (7,755 births), California (7,209 births), New York (2,014 births).
How long has the name Clarissa been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Clarissa since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Clarissa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Clara, Claire, Claudia, Clare, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Clarissa's data
- Clarissa's decade-level peak was the 1990s (10,592 total births); usage has since declined to 1,439 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Clarissas (7,755 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Clarissa
Nearby Names Like Clarissa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Clarissa
Clara Girl
#78 300,524 births
Claire Girl
#67 211,919 births
Claudia Girl
#1086 128,318 births
Clare Girl
#948 31,456 births
Clarice Girl
#2780 25,474 births
Compare Clarissa side by side: Clarissa vs Clara Clarissa vs Claire Clarissa vs Claudia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Clarissa
Carolyn #1160
556,777 births · Peak 1947
Silvia #1162
21,272 births · Peak 1991
Grecia #1159
6,318 births · Peak 2006
True #1163
2,186 births · Peak 2021
Averi #1158
7,909 births · Peak 2015
Wrenly #1164
993 births · Peak 2024
Shay #1157
8,227 births · Peak 2022
Martina #1165
18,498 births · Peak 1964
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Clarissa: #1161 Girls' Name - 40,484 Births, Peak 1995." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/clarissa. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Clarissa draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.