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Home › Baby Names Directory › Carlissa

Carlissa

♀ Girl

Pronounced kar-LISS-uh /kɑrˈlɪsə/Medium

Meaning: Carlissa is a coined blend, joining a Carl- opening with the -issa ending of Carissa and Melissa. Carl and Carla come from a Germanic word for 'free man'; Carissa relates to Latin and Greek roots for 'dear' or 'grace'. Carlissa borrows both, so it reads as a soft, invented name carrying a faint 'free' and 'dear' flavor rather than one fixed root.Low

In 30 seconds: Carlissa blends a Carl- opening with the -issa of Carissa and Melissa. A soft coinage, it stayed rare in the United States (said kar-LISS-uh).
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Origin LowEnglish, Germanic
MeaningCarlissa is a coined blend, joining a Carl- opening with the -issa ending of Carissa and Melissa. Carl and Carla come from a Germanic word for 'free man'; Carissa relates to Latin and Greek roots for 'dear' or 'grace'. Carlissa borrows both, so it reads as a soft, invented name carrying a faint 'free' and 'dear' flavor rather than one fixed root.
U.S. rank (2016)#16752 ↘ Falling
2016 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1989
Total births (all-time)≈ 658

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 198919592016

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

Carlissa is a coined blend, pairing the Carl- of Carla and Carl, from a Germanic word for 'free man', with the fashionable -issa ending seen in Carissa and Melissa. American parents built many such names in the later twentieth century, layering a familiar opening onto a pretty, flowing tail.

It was never common, appearing for only a couple of dozen girls a year around its high point in the late nineteen-eighties before thinning. A girl given it then is in her thirties now. It reads as a graceful, of-its-decade invention.

Did you know? Carlissa is a made name of its era, welding Carla to the -issa ending that also gave the decades Carissa, Melissa and Alyssa.
Overall data confidence 32%
References - Carlissa — Coined blend of Carla + -issa (Carissa/Melissa); routes uncertain

Variations

CarissaCarlisaCarlyssaCharlissa

Nicknames

CarlyLissaCari

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Carlissa…

Carissa— a like -issa name behind the sound
Melissa— another -issa model of the era
Carla— the Carl- opening Carlissa uses
Alyssa— a like flowing -yssa name in feel

Explore names like Carlissa

By themevintageamericanblend

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Carlissa mean?

It is a coined blend of Carla and the -issa ending of Carissa and Melissa, with no single fixed root, which we note.

How do you pronounce Carlissa?

It's said kar-LISS-uh /kɑrˈlɪsə/, three syllables, stress on the middle.

Is Carlissa a boy or girl name?

Carlissa is used as a girl's name.

Is Carlissa a popular name?

No, it has always been rare, an invented blend that peaked quietly in the late nineteen-eighties.

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