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Home › Baby Names Directory › Morrisa

Morrisa

♀ Girl

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

Meaning: Morrisa is a feminine elaboration of Morris, the English form of Maurice, which comes from Latin Mauritius, 'Moorish' or 'dark-skinned.' Adding the -a ending turns the familiar man's name and surname into a softer girl's name while keeping the same root meaning.Low

In 30 seconds: Morrisa is a feminine twist on Morris, from Latin Maurice meaning 'dark-skinned.' It was never common and peaked around 1990 (said muh-RIS-uh).
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Origin LowLatin, American
MeaningMorrisa is a feminine elaboration of Morris, the English form of Maurice, which comes from Latin Mauritius, 'Moorish' or 'dark-skinned.' Adding the -a ending turns the familiar man's name and surname into a softer girl's name while keeping the same root meaning.
U.S. rank (2012)#18697 ↗ Rising
2012 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1990
Total births (all-time)≈ 207

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199019602012

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

Morrisa takes Morris, the English form of Maurice from Latin Mauritius, and reshapes it for a girl with an -a ending. Maurice long carried the sense 'Moorish' or 'dark-complexioned,' and that meaning passes down to the feminine coinage. The name belongs to the broad American habit of building new girls' names on established masculine bases.

Never widespread, the spelling reached only about a dozen and a half girls a year at its quiet peak around 1990, then faded. A girl named Morrisa then is in her thirties today.

Did you know? Morrisa turns a classic man's name and surname into a girl's name simply by adding a vowel, a pattern that gave American families dozens of feminized forms in the later twentieth century.
Overall data confidence 40%
References - Morrisa — Feminine of Morris/Maurice (Latin Mauritius, 'Moorish/dark-skinned')

Variations

MorrisMaurissaMorisa

Nicknames

MoRissaMorri

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Morrisa…

Marissa— a near-twin in sound and -issa ending
Larissa— shares the soft three-beat rhythm
Clarissa— a like vowel-rich feminine name
Maurice— the masculine root behind Morrisa

Explore names like Morrisa

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Morrisa mean?

It is a feminine form of Morris, the English version of Maurice, from Latin for 'Moorish' or 'dark-skinned.'

How do you pronounce Morrisa?

It is said muh-RIS-uh /məˈrɪs.ə/, three syllables stressed in the middle.

Is Morrisa a boy or girl name?

Morrisa is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Morrisa?

It has always been rare in the United States, given to only a small number of girls a year around its peak near the start of the nineteen-nineties.

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