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Home › Baby Names Directory › Marissa

Marissa

♀ Girl

Pronounced muh-RIS-uh /məˈɹɪs.ə/Medium

Meaning: Elaborated form of Marisa/Maris, from Latin 'maris' (of the sea), linked to the epithet 'stella maris' (star of the sea).Medium

In 30 seconds: Marissa is an elaborated form of Marisa or Maris, drawn from the Latin maris, 'of the sea'.
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Origin MediumLatin, English
MeaningElaborated form of Marisa/Maris, from Latin 'maris' (of the sea), linked to the epithet 'stella maris' (star of the sea).
U.S. rank (2025)#1679 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births123 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1994
Total births (all-time)≈ 120,834

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199419362025

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

At its core sits the Latin maris, meaning 'of the sea', the same element behind the epithet stella maris, 'star of the sea'. Marissa is a fuller, doubled-consonant elaboration of the plainer Maris and Marisa. The marine sense gives it its gentle, seaside association.

Spellings range from the accented Marísa to the Slavic Mariša and the longer Marisela, showing how the name stretches and contracts across languages. The Yahoo and Google executive Marissa Mayer is a well-known modern bearer.

Did you know? Marissa is a spelling variant of Marisa, so it keeps the same core meaning of 'origin uncertain' while changing the visual style.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Marissa — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

MariselaMarísaMarišaMarisa

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Marissa Mayer (1975-present)
    American businesswoman and technology executive who was an early Google employee and later served as president and CEO of Yahoo!.

If you like Marissa…

Alissa— shares Marissa's English roots
Janessa— shares the -sa ending
Larissa— echoes that soft -sa sound
Anissa— a similarly popular pick
Julissa— a similarly popular pick

Explore names like Marissa

By themeenglishdutch
By meaningStarSea / Water

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Marissa mean?

Marissa is usually explained as meaning 'origin uncertain' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Marissa?

It's commonly said muh-RIS-uh /məˈɹɪs.ə/.

Is Marissa a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Marissa is used as a girl name.

How popular is Marissa?

In 2024, Marissa ranked #1495 in the U.S. for girls, with 145 births recorded.

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