Karyssa
Feminine
Karyssa sits on top of two different ancient words that have been confused with each other for a long time — one Latin, one Greek, neither of them actually the source of this spelling. The confusion is older than the name and worth untangling.
How old is the name Karyssa?
Karyssa first appears in US birth records in 1983 — 42 years ago. The typical Karyssa alive today was born around 2001, making them about 24 years old. About 900 people named Karyssa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Karyssa most popular?
Karyssa peaked in 1993, reaching #2676 nationally. See the whole 1993 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Karyssa
The Latin side has a small charm the Greek one does not. Carissima is a superlative — dearest, the most dear — and it is how an Italian letter begins. Not a form reserved for great occasions, but the ordinary opening of a note to a friend, so that Italian correspondence has been addressing everybody as dearest for several centuries without anyone finding it excessive. A name built on that root carries a tone of voice rather than a quality: not what a person is, but how they are spoken to. That is a better thing for a name to mean, and it is available to this spelling on the same terms as anything else — by choosing it, knowing it is a choice.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Two roots are offered and they are unrelated. Latin carus means dear, and gives Cara and Carissa. Greek charis means grace, and gives Charissa and charisma. This spelling, with a K and a y, descends from neither directly — it was made in America from the sound, in a decade that wrote y for i as a matter of course. Either meaning can be claimed only by adopting one of the parents.
Pronouncing Karyssa
kuh-RISS-uh
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. The y is silent as a change; it sounds exactly like the i it replaced.
Nicknames for Karyssa
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1983
- Most girls named
- 199345 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2676reached in 1993
- Change vs 2018
- 0.0%5 in 2019, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Karyssa in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Carissa in Italian — related form
- Charissa in Greek — related form
Karyssas among us
people named Karyssa are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Karyssa sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is melodic and balanced, with the weight in the middle where English likes it.
- Every sound in it is ordinary, so it is never mispronounced.
- It is rare while sitting comfortably beside Melissa, Alyssa and Marissa.
- Carissa, Karissa and Charissa are all in use and hers will be written as one of them.
- The two meanings offered belong to two different names, so neither is safely hers.
- The K and y together date the spelling to one American decade.
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Karyssa
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Karyssas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Karyssa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Karyssa in 2025?
- Karyssa is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Karyssa with classmates?
- Karyssa will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Karen#1279 · Kimberly#302 · Kathleen#1150 · Katherine#186 · Kelly#851 · Kathryn#729 · Kayla#364 · Kathy#3249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Karyssa? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Karyssa and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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