Total births
20,089
Girls' name · since 1961
Karissa
20,089 babies named Karissa in U.S. Social Security records since 1961, with the highest year being 1991. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2612
- among girls today
- 20,089
- born since 1961
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Karissa is the #2612 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 20,089 recorded since 1961.
Karissa has 20,089 recorded births among girls since 1961, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2612 as of the latest data, more common than 85% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1961 to 2025.
- #2612 among girls today
- 20,089 born since 1961
- 1990s peak decade
- 85% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Karissa is currently the #2612 girls' name in America, more common than 85% of girls - 20,089 born since 1961, peaking in the 1990s.
- #2612
- among girls today
- 20,089
- born since 1961
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Karissa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2612
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 85% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
37% of everyone ever named Karissa was born in this single decade.
1991
Single peak year
901 babies were named Karissa in 1991 - its busiest year on record.
How Karissa compares
20,089 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Karissa's all-time total is 53x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Karissa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,089 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 901 | 48 | 19,840 |
Karissa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Karissa's full recorded timeline at 1993, 62% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 38% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1964, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1991 peak of 901 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Karissa at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1991
Current rank
#2,612
Active since
1961
Karissa popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1961–2025
- Peak year (1991)
- 901
- Annual births at peak, across 65 years of records
Karissa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Karissa's strongest decade.
7,446 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Karissa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 122
1960s
122 births
- 1970s 987
1970s
987 births
- 1980s
1980s
3,810 births
- 1990s
1990s
7,446 births
- 2000s
2000s
5,097 births
- 2010s 2,184
2010s
2,184 births
- 2020s 443
2020s
443 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 7,446 births (37% of all-time use).
How Karissa 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 Karissa's total volume
Karissa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Karissa by state
Where Karissa concentrates geographically, total births since 1961
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,965 | 14.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,491 | 7.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 971 | 4.8% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 847 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Florida | | 817 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 797 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 779 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 647 | 3.2% |
California share of Karissa's total US births 14.8%
Even split
2,965 of 20,089 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Karissa appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Karissa? ▼
20,089 babies have been named Karissa since 1961. It currently ranks #2612 among girls. The peak year was 1991 with 901 births.
When was Karissa most popular? ▼
Karissa was most popular in the 1990s decade with 7,446 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is Karissa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Karissa are California (2,965 births), Texas (1,491 births), New York (971 births).
How long has the name Karissa been used? ▼
Karissa has been recorded in Social Security data since 1961, spanning 65 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Karissa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Karen, Kara, Karla, Karina, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Karissa's data
- Karissa's decade-level peak was the 1990s (7,446 total births); usage has since declined to 443 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Karissas (2,965 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Karissa
Nearby Names Like Karissa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karissa
Karen Girl
#1251 987,989 births
Kara Girl
#990 101,743 births
Karla Girl
#733 91,586 births
Karina Girl
#772 61,464 births
Kari Girl
#1843 59,696 births
Compare Karissa side by side: Karissa vs Karen Karissa vs Kara Karissa vs Karla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Karissa
Aleyda #2611
1,708 births · Peak 2014
Aja #2613
8,314 births · Peak 1978
Shayna #2610
16,267 births · Peak 1991
Ania #2614
3,315 births · Peak 2006
Vanya #2609
1,279 births · Peak 2020
Shania #2615
15,814 births · Peak 1996
Everett #2608
1,201 births · Peak 2021
Carleigh #2616
6,114 births · Peak 2010
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, 1961–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Karissa: #2612 Girls' Name - 20,089 Births, Peak 1991." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/karissa. 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 Karissa 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.