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Home › Baby Names Directory › Karisa

Karisa

♀ Girl

Pronounced kuh-RIS-uh /kəˈrɪsə/High

Meaning: Karisa is a single-s, K- spelling of Carissa, a name usually traced to Greek charis, 'grace', or Latin cara, 'dear, beloved'. The trimmed spelling keeps the gentle three-beat sound.Medium

In 30 seconds: Karisa respells Carissa (kuh-RIS-uh) — from Greek 'charis', grace, or Latin 'cara', dear.
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Origin MediumEnglish, Greek
MeaningKarisa is a single-s, K- spelling of Carissa, a name usually traced to Greek charis, 'grace', or Latin cara, 'dear, beloved'. The trimmed spelling keeps the gentle three-beat sound.
U.S. rank (2024)#16385 ↘ Falling
2024 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1992
Total births (all-time)≈ 2,773

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199219612024

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

Karisa is a spelling of Carissa, a name commonly linked to Greek charis, 'grace', or Latin cara, 'dear, beloved'. Parents in the eighties and nineties often swapped the C for a K and dropped a consonant, keeping the sound while freshening the look.

A girl named Karisa at its 1992 high is now around thirty. It reads nineties and has not revived; Carissa remains the recognizable spelling. It pairs its pretty meaning with a spelling that invites a quick 'one s', an easy practical note for an otherwise clear name.

Did you know? Karisa peaked in 1992 among the soft -issa/-isa names — Carissa, Marissa, Clarissa — that shared the decade's taste for flowing girls' names.
Overall data confidence 65%
References — Karisa — Respelling of Carissa (Greek charis / Latin cara)

Variations

CarissaKarissaCharissa

Nicknames

RissaKari

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Karisa…

Carissa— the base name Karisa respells
Clarissa— a same-family -issa name
Marissa— shares the soft three-beat rhythm
Larissa— another -issa girls' name of the era

Explore names like Karisa

By themerespellinggracebelovedninetiesgreek-root

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Karisa mean?

Karisa is a spelling of Carissa, from Greek charis, 'grace', or Latin cara, 'dear'.

How do you pronounce Karisa?

It's said kuh-RIS-uh /kəˈrɪsə/ — three syllables, stress in the middle.

Is Karisa a boy or girl name?

Karisa is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Karisa?

Karisa was an uncommon spelling that peaked in the early nineties and has been rare since.

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