Clarissa
Clarissa was given to 212 girls in 2025, #1,114 among girls’ names; 40,505 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 36,700 Americans named Clarissa and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (91% of everyone recorded); the median is 31 years old and half are between 22 and 42.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Clarissa by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Clarissa mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Clarissa is “a female given name from Latin or Italian.”
Borrowed from Italian Clarissa, from Medieval Latin Clarissa; see there for more. Popularized in English by Samuel Richardson’s 1748 novel Clarissa. Doublet of Clarisse.
/kləˈɹɪsə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Clarissa?
#1,114 among girls’ names, 2025
Clarissa fell from #697 in 2015 to #1,114 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 0.23 to 0.13 per 1,000.
1,201 babies in 1995, the peak
Clarissa peaked in 1995, when 1,201 girls were given it, #239 among girls’ names. The 212 births of 2025 are 18% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 212 | #1,114 | 0.13 |
| 2024 | 207 | #1,161 | 0.13 |
| 2023 | 209 | #1,158 | 0.13 |
| 2022 | 246 | #1,039 | 0.15 |
| 2021 | 278 | #949 | 0.17 |
| 2020 | 287 | #911 | 0.18 |
| 2019 | 378 | #747 | 0.23 |
| 2018 | 372 | #745 | 0.22 |
| 2017 | 431 | #680 | 0.25 |
| 2016 | 455 | #646 | 0.26 |
Every recorded year (145)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 408 | #697 | 0.23 |
| 2014 | 364 | #768 | 0.20 |
| 2013 | 396 | #705 | 0.23 |
| 2012 | 453 | #632 | 0.26 |
| 2011 | 479 | #598 | 0.27 |
| 2010 | 530 | #550 | 0.30 |
| 2009 | 499 | #605 | 0.27 |
| 2008 | 546 | #563 | 0.29 |
| 2007 | 644 | #502 | 0.33 |
| 2006 | 675 | #469 | 0.36 |
| 2005 | 737 | #419 | 0.40 |
| 2004 | 852 | #367 | 0.46 |
| 2003 | 808 | #376 | 0.44 |
| 2002 | 870 | #343 | 0.48 |
| 2001 | 952 | #325 | 0.53 |
| 2000 | 975 | #326 | 0.54 |
| 1999 | 975 | #317 | 0.55 |
| 1998 | 1,005 | #301 | 0.57 |
| 1997 | 1,093 | #266 | 0.63 |
| 1996 | 1,157 | #242 | 0.66 |
| 1995 | 1,201 | #239 | 0.68 |
| 1994 | 1,185 | #237 | 0.66 |
| 1993 | 1,074 | #258 | 0.59 |
| 1992 | 1,140 | #244 | 0.62 |
| 1991 | 909 | #305 | 0.48 |
| 1990 | 853 | #322 | 0.45 |
| 1989 | 759 | #334 | 0.41 |
| 1988 | 777 | #320 | 0.44 |
| 1987 | 697 | #345 | 0.40 |
| 1986 | 764 | #314 | 0.45 |
| 1985 | 633 | #367 | 0.37 |
| 1984 | 635 | #363 | 0.38 |
| 1983 | 622 | #363 | 0.37 |
| 1982 | 540 | #416 | 0.32 |
| 1981 | 524 | #418 | 0.31 |
| 1980 | 423 | #489 | 0.25 |
| 1979 | 422 | #484 | 0.26 |
| 1978 | 364 | #514 | 0.24 |
| 1977 | 350 | #525 | 0.23 |
| 1976 | 384 | #478 | 0.26 |
| 1975 | 378 | #489 | 0.26 |
| 1974 | 318 | #525 | 0.22 |
| 1973 | 304 | #548 | 0.21 |
| 1972 | 305 | #547 | 0.20 |
| 1971 | 327 | #551 | 0.20 |
| 1970 | 321 | #567 | 0.18 |
| 1969 | 276 | #599 | 0.16 |
| 1968 | 260 | #597 | 0.16 |
| 1967 | 217 | #650 | 0.13 |
| 1966 | 222 | #644 | 0.13 |
| 1965 | 200 | #695 | 0.11 |
| 1964 | 262 | #624 | 0.14 |
| 1963 | 212 | #695 | 0.11 |
| 1962 | 233 | #668 | 0.12 |
| 1961 | 237 | #670 | 0.12 |
| 1960 | 204 | #713 | 0.10 |
| 1959 | 180 | #758 | 0.09 |
| 1958 | 159 | #796 | 0.08 |
| 1957 | 182 | #738 | 0.09 |
| 1956 | 172 | #737 | 0.09 |
| 1955 | 158 | #754 | 0.08 |
| 1954 | 127 | #834 | 0.07 |
| 1953 | 134 | #795 | 0.07 |
| 1952 | 99 | #930 | 0.05 |
| 1951 | 100 | #913 | 0.06 |
| 1950 | 91 | #936 | 0.05 |
| 1949 | 88 | #951 | 0.05 |
| 1948 | 86 | #935 | 0.05 |
| 1947 | 97 | #897 | 0.05 |
| 1946 | 62 | #1,078 | 0.04 |
| 1945 | 54 | #1,064 | 0.04 |
| 1944 | 57 | #1,040 | 0.04 |
| 1943 | 62 | #1,006 | 0.04 |
| 1942 | 54 | #1,065 | 0.04 |
| 1941 | 61 | #944 | 0.05 |
| 1940 | 59 | #936 | 0.05 |
| 1939 | 60 | #907 | 0.05 |
| 1938 | 46 | #1,057 | 0.04 |
| 1937 | 41 | #1,118 | 0.04 |
| 1936 | 60 | #878 | 0.06 |
| 1935 | 46 | #1,019 | 0.04 |
| 1934 | 54 | #940 | 0.05 |
| 1933 | 49 | #986 | 0.05 |
| 1932 | 51 | #990 | 0.05 |
| 1931 | 54 | #943 | 0.05 |
| 1930 | 51 | #1,033 | 0.05 |
| 1929 | 56 | #960 | 0.05 |
| 1928 | 57 | #984 | 0.05 |
| 1927 | 62 | #966 | 0.05 |
| 1926 | 59 | #971 | 0.05 |
| 1925 | 68 | #895 | 0.06 |
| 1924 | 67 | #930 | 0.05 |
| 1923 | 67 | #896 | 0.06 |
| 1922 | 68 | #888 | 0.06 |
| 1921 | 78 | #841 | 0.06 |
| 1920 | 81 | #808 | 0.07 |
| 1919 | 79 | #793 | 0.07 |
| 1918 | 83 | #785 | 0.07 |
| 1917 | 86 | #752 | 0.08 |
| 1916 | 79 | #771 | 0.08 |
| 1915 | 68 | #798 | 0.07 |
| 1914 | 50 | #831 | 0.07 |
| 1913 | 38 | #855 | 0.06 |
| 1912 | 50 | #711 | 0.09 |
| 1911 | 36 | #722 | 0.09 |
| 1910 | 27 | #834 | 0.07 |
| 1909 | 32 | #709 | 0.09 |
| 1908 | 25 | #772 | 0.07 |
| 1907 | 28 | #712 | 0.09 |
| 1906 | 21 | #799 | 0.07 |
| 1905 | 15 | #973 | 0.05 |
| 1904 | 32 | #601 | 0.12 |
| 1903 | 21 | #738 | 0.08 |
| 1902 | 25 | #674 | 0.09 |
| 1901 | 33 | #534 | 0.14 |
| 1900 | 20 | #836 | 0.07 |
| 1899 | 23 | #647 | 0.10 |
| 1898 | 26 | #634 | 0.10 |
| 1897 | 22 | #663 | 0.09 |
| 1896 | 23 | #655 | 0.10 |
| 1895 | 22 | #661 | 0.09 |
| 1894 | 26 | #572 | 0.12 |
| 1893 | 18 | #691 | 0.08 |
| 1892 | 18 | #690 | 0.08 |
| 1891 | 18 | #629 | 0.10 |
| 1890 | 25 | #525 | 0.13 |
| 1889 | 20 | #573 | 0.11 |
| 1888 | 12 | #757 | 0.07 |
| 1887 | 17 | #539 | 0.12 |
| 1886 | 15 | #574 | 0.10 |
| 1885 | 11 | #662 | 0.08 |
| 1884 | 18 | #483 | 0.14 |
| 1883 | 17 | #466 | 0.15 |
| 1882 | 13 | #513 | 0.12 |
| 1880 | 10 | #552 | 0.11 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Clarissa a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Clarissa has been given almost only to girls: 21 boys in 145 years of records.
Girls and boys named Clarissa: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Clarissa, and how old are they?
36,700 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 91% of the 40,505 Americans ever recorded as Clarissa. The median Clarissa alive today is 31 years old; half are between 22 and 42.
The 2020 Census counted 33,186 people named Clarissa (33,143 women and girls, 43 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 35,897 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 293 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 2,310 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,730 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 13,100 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 12,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 4,220 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Clarissa born?
The states with the most babies named Clarissa are California, Texas and Florida, with 71% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 57 | #567 | 1.5× |
| Texas | 40 | #747 | 2.3× |
| Florida | 18 | #879 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 11 | #817 | 0.8× |
| Arizona | 9 | #696 | 1.9× |
| New York | 8 | #1,555 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 8 | #1,051 | 0.6× |
| Virginia | 5 | #1,223 | 0.6× |
| Washington | 5 | #1,086 | 0.7× |
Where Clarissa is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Clarissa is most over-represented in Texas: since 1910 it was given 2.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Clarissa with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 50,746 babies since 1880, Clarissa is the most given (80% of them). In 2025 it was given to 212 of their 274 babies (77%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Clarissa
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Clarissa and names like it
- Compare Clarissa and ClarisaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1990sClarissa peaked in 1995.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Clarissa since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Clarissa: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1995The year the most babies were named Clarissa.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Clarissa alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with CMost given first.