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Home › Baby Names Directory › Carissa

Carissa

♀ Girl

Pronounced kə-RIS-ə /kəˈrɪs.ə/High

Meaning: From Greek charis, 'grace', via the name Charissa; reinforced by Latin carissima, 'dearest, most beloved'Medium

In 30 seconds: Grace by way of Greece, dearest by way of Rome: Carissa draws on charis and carissima at once. A double declaration of love in three soft syllables.
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Origin MediumGreek, Latin
MeaningFrom Greek charis, 'grace', via the name Charissa; reinforced by Latin carissima, 'dearest, most beloved'
U.S. rank (2025)#3349 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births46 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1992
Total births (all-time)≈ 28,446

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199219492025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Carissa weaves together two affectionate threads: Greek charis, 'grace' — the root Spenser used for his allegorical Charissa — and Latin carissima, 'dearest', the superlative of carus, 'beloved'. Botany added a third strand by naming a flowering shrub genus Carissa.

The name flowered in 1980s-90s America alongside Marissa and Larissa, all sharing the lacy -rissa finish. Today it is rare again — a love-word name awaiting rediscovery.

Did you know? Edmund Spenser coined the sister form Charissa for The Faerie Queene (1590) — an allegorical figure of charity and grace whose name parents later simplified.
Overall data confidence 75%
Behind the Name — Carissa — etymology

Variations

CharissaKarissaCarisa

Nicknames

CariRissa

Famous Bearers

  • ★Carissa Moore (1992-)
    American professional surfer and Olympic gold medalist

If you like Carissa…

Marissa— the rhyming -rissa favorite of the same era
Larissa— a fellow Greek-rooted -rissa sister
Clarissa— the literary classic one letter of clarity away
Charity— the virtue name sharing its charis root

Explore names like Carissa

By themelatingreek90s
By meaningLoveGrace

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Carissa mean?

Carissa draws on Greek charis, 'grace', and Latin carissima, 'dearest, most beloved'.

How do you pronounce Carissa?

It's said kə-RIS-ə /kəˈrɪs.ə/ — three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Carissa a boy or girl name?

Carissa is a girl's name.

How popular is Carissa?

Carissa is a rare name today after modest late-twentieth-century popularity.

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