Kerissa
Feminine
Kerissa is a three-syllable name, kuh-RISS-uh, that sits beside Carissa and Clarissa with an e in the first syllable. It belongs to the family of -issa names that became familiar in America in the late twentieth century.
How old is the name Kerissa?
Kerissa first appears in US birth records in 1975 — 50 years ago. The typical Kerissa alive today was born around 1994, making them about 31 years old. About 500 people named Kerissa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kerissa most popular?
Kerissa peaked in 1994, reaching #3704 nationally. See the whole 1994 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Kerissa
Kerissa sounds almost exactly like Carissa: the first syllable of both is light and quick, so the change from a to e barely reaches the ear. On the page, though, it leans toward Keri and Kerry, the names that begin with that same Ker-. The ending is the -issa that English speakers know from Melissa and Clarissa. The whole makes a quick, rising name with its weight in the middle.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Kerissa has no documented meaning of its own. Carissa, the closest name, is tied to the Latin carus, 'dear'; Kerissa can also be read as Keri with the -issa ending of Marissa and Melissa. No record says which road a family took.
Pronouncing Kerissa
kuh-RISS-uh
Said like Carissa. Some will give the first syllable a clearer ker- sound, as in Kerry.
Nicknames for Kerissa
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
- 1975
- Most girls named
- 199429 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3704reached in 1994
- Change vs 2018
- −16.7%5 in 2019, from 6
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.
Kerissas among us
people named Kerissa 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
Kerissa 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
- Easy to say on first sight, with the stress where English readers expect it.
- Offers Keri and Rissa as short forms.
- Close to Carissa and Clarissa, so it sounds familiar.
- People will write Carissa or Karissa from habit; the e needs saying.
- It has no documented meaning or story; anyone who asks will get only its neighbors.
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Kerissa
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Kerissas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Kerissa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kerissa in 2025?
- Kerissa is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Kerissa with classmates?
- Kerissa 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 Kerissa? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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