Larissa
Feminine · “citadel”
Larissa is a Greek city and a nymph — and a moon of Neptune named for her, discovered in 1989 by Voyager 2 on its way out of the solar system.
How old is the name Larissa?
Larissa first appears in US birth records in 1946 — 79 years ago. The typical Larissa alive today was born around 1994, making them about 31 years old. About 23,000 people named Larissa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Larissa most popular?
Larissa peaked in 1994, reaching #363 nationally. Today it ranks #1643, 1,280 places below that high. See the whole 1994 chart.
Larissa appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From Larissa to Larissa
The story of Larissa
Larissa in Thessaly is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and where Hippocrates died. Saint Larissa was a fourth-century Gothic martyr venerated in the Orthodox east, which carried the name into Russian use. Russian and Eastern European emigration brought it to America, where it is in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
citadel
From the Greek city Larissa in Thessaly, whose name is generally read as a pre-Greek word for a citadel or stronghold — the same element in several Greek place names. A nymph Larissa is named in some accounts as a daughter of Pelasgus. The pre-Greek origin means the meaning is not firmly established.
How the name formed
- Larissa
- Larisa
Related forms: Лариса · Larissa · Λάρισα
Pronouncing Larissa
luh-RIS-uh
Three syllables, stress in the middle. Russian Larisa says lah-REE-sah with a longer middle vowel.
Nicknames for Larissa
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
- 1946
- Most girls named
- 1994715 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #363reached in 1994
- Change vs 2023
- −14.9%126 in 2025, from 148
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.
Larissa in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Лариса in Russian — transliteration
- Larissa in Portuguese — same name
- Λάρισα in Greek — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Larissas among us
people named Larissa are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 12,756 born in 2025 was named Larissa
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lawanda test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Larissa's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lawanda climbed just as high around 1977, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lawanda's path sketches the road Larissa is walking now.
Larissa sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Larissa is headed
Larissa should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Larissa beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Larissa in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A real ancient city, an Orthodox martyr and a moon of Neptune all carry it.
- Lara and Rissa are two short forms, both with real use.
- It is standard in Russian, Portuguese and Greek.
- The pre-Greek origin means the meaning is not firmly settled.
- Larisa with one s is the Russian spelling and both are in use.
- Melissa and Marissa are close enough in sound to cause confusion.
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What they receive
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Larissa
Feminine · #1643 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Larissas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 23,000 people named Larissa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Larissa in 2025?
- Larissa ranks #1643 among US girl names in 2025, with 126 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Larissa?
- About 1 in every 12,756 US girls born in 2025 was named Larissa — 126 in all.
- Will my child share the name Larissa with classmates?
- Larissa will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Larissa
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Anvi#1643 · Lilyanna#1643 · Rilynn#1643 · Kylah#1643 · Samiyah#1643 · Liza#1643 · Kaylin#1643 · Yazmin#1643
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Larissa? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Larissa and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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