Total births
1,977
Girls' name · since 1915
Nerissa
1,977 babies named Nerissa in U.S. Social Security records since 1915, with the highest year being 1979. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #13582
- among girls today
- 1,977
- born since 1915
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other girls
Nerissa currently ranks #13582 among girls' names in America, with 1,977 babies recorded since 1915.
Social Security Administration records show Nerissa recorded 1,977 times among girls since 1915, holding rank #13582 nationally today, ahead of 23% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2025.
- #13582 among girls today
- 1,977 born since 1915
- 1980s peak decade
- 23% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Nerissa is currently the #13582 girls' name in America, more common than 23% of girls - 1,977 born since 1915, peaking in the 1980s.
- #13582
- among girls today
- 1,977
- born since 1915
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other girls
Nerissa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#13582
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 23% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Nerissa was born in this single decade.
1979
Single peak year
73 babies were named Nerissa in 1979 - its busiest year on record.
How Nerissa compares
1,977 Top 22% higher than 78% 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
Nerissa's all-time total is 5x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nerissa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,977 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 73 | 48 | 19,840 |
Nerissa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nerissa splits its recorded history at 1986: 44% of all births land in the more recent half, 56% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1948 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1979 peak of 73 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nerissa at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1979
Current rank
#13,582
Active since
1915
Nerissa popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025
- Peak year (1979)
- 73
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Nerissa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Nerissa's strongest decade.
488 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Nerissa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 13
1910s
13 births
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
- 1950s 87
1950s
87 births
- 1960s
1960s
223 births
- 1970s
1970s
454 births
- 1980s
1980s
488 births
- 1990s
1990s
315 births
- 2000s
2000s
245 births
- 2010s 111
2010s
111 births
- 2020s 36
2020s
36 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 488 births (25% of all-time use).
How Nerissa 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 Nerissa's total volume
Nerissa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Nerissa by state
Where Nerissa concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 224 | 11.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 108 | 5.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 53 | 2.7% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 38 | 1.9% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 16 | 0.8% |
| #6 | Florida | | 10 | 0.5% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 7 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 6 | 0.3% |
California share of Nerissa's total US births 11.3%
Even split
224 of 1,977 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Nerissa appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nerissa? ▼
Since 1915, Social Security records show 1,977 babies named Nerissa. Today it holds rank #13582 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1979, with 73 births.
When was Nerissa most popular? ▼
Nerissa was most popular in the 1980s decade with 488 total births. The single peak year was 1979.
Where is Nerissa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nerissa are California (224 births), New York (108 births), Texas (53 births).
How long has the name Nerissa been used? ▼
Nerissa has been recorded in Social Security data since 1915, spanning 111 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Nerissa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nereida, Neriah, Nereyda, Neriyah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Nerissa's data
- Nerissa's decade-level peak was the 1980s (488 total births); usage has since declined to 36 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nerissas (224 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 Nerissa
Nearby Names Like Nerissa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nerissa
Nereida Girl
#10386 3,697 births
Neriah Girl
#828 3,651 births
Nereyda Girl
#13789 1,206 births
Neriyah Girl
#3383 344 births
Nery Girl
287 births
Compare Nerissa side by side: Nerissa vs Nereida Nerissa vs Neriah Nerissa vs Nereyda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nerissa
Merilyn #13581
2,317 births · Peak 1946
Alexsandra #13583
2,422 births · Peak 2006
Elane #13580
806 births · Peak 1950
Arabel #13584
173 births · Peak 2015
Gem #13579
217 births · Peak 2016
Beverlee #13585
2,297 births · Peak 1930
Bessy #13578
334 births · Peak 2001
Dorina #13586
968 births · Peak 1969
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1915–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nerissa: #13582 Girls' Name - 1,977 Births, Peak 1979." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nerissa. 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 Nerissa 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 July 2026.