Narissa
Feminine
Narissa sits between two names that look like cousins and are not. One was invented for a comedy in the fifteen-nineties; the other comes from a Greek flower and a Greek boy who drowned looking at himself.
How old is the name Narissa?
Narissa first appears in US birth records in 1964 — 61 years ago. The typical Narissa alive today was born around 1996, making them about 29 years old. About 800 people named Narissa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Narissa most popular?
Narissa peaked in 1985, reaching #3621 nationally. See the whole 1985 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Narissa
In The Merchant of Venice, Portia's waiting-woman is called Nerissa, and the name appears to have been made up for her; no earlier example has been found. She is sharper than her mistress in several scenes, disguises herself as a lawyer's clerk, and extracts a ring from her own husband by a trick, which is the part of the plot that most productions enjoy most. The name then sat in the plays for three centuries before English-speaking parents began using it, which is the usual pattern for Shakespeare's coinages: Jessica, Miranda and Imogen all waited a long time before anybody named a child after them. Narissa is one letter away, and that letter is enough to leave the question open.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Nerissa was coined by a playwright and its intended sense is argued over. Narcissa comes from the narcissus and has a quite different history. This spelling sits between them and the record does not choose.
Pronouncing Narissa
nuh-RISS-uh
Three syllables with the weight in the middle. The first is light enough to disappear in quick speech.
Nicknames for Narissa
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
- 1964
- Most girls named
- 200328 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3621reached in 1985
- Change vs 2021
- +16.7%7 in 2022, 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.
Narissas among us
people named Narissa 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
Narissa 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
- Rissa comes off the back of it as a short form and stands alone perfectly well.
- The stress falls where an English reader expects, so first attempts usually land correctly.
- Three soft syllables carry well and are easy to remember.
- Nerissa, Narissa and Marissa are all in the record and will be confused with one another.
- The two candidate parents have unrelated histories, so there is no single meaning to give.
- No origin is documented for this spelling, so the question has nothing settled behind it.
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Narissa
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Narissas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Narissa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Narissa in 2025?
- Narissa is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Narissa with classmates?
- Narissa will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More N names
The most-given names starting with N, all years combined.
Nancy#965 · Nicole#382 · Natalie#89 · Norma#2002 · Nora#20 · Naomi#47 · Nellie#533 · Nina#324
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Narissa? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Narissa and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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