Raissa
Feminine · “a Greek name of uncertain meaning”
Raissa is a Russian and Greek name with a soft double s, carried by two remarkable women of the twentieth century: a philosopher in Paris and the wife of the last Soviet leader.
How old is the name Raissa?
Raissa first appears in US birth records in 1959 — 66 years ago. The typical Raissa alive today was born around 1997, making them about 28 years old. About 500 people named Raissa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Raissa most popular?
Raissa peaked in 1966, reaching #4493 nationally. See the whole 1966 chart.
Where it comes from
From Raisa to Raissa
The story of Raissa
As students in Paris, Raïssa Oumansoff and Jacques Maritain were so troubled by the emptiness of the science they were taught that they made a pact to end their lives within a year unless they found some meaning; they went to hear the philosopher Henri Bergson instead, and both became leading Catholic thinkers. Decades later Raisa Gorbacheva broke with Soviet custom by appearing in public beside her husband, and the Western press followed her everywhere.
Meaningscholars disagree
a Greek name of uncertain meaning
Raisa is a Russian name usually traced to a Greek source, sometimes explained as easygoing or relaxed; the derivation is not settled. Raissa is a common spelling in French and English.
How the name formed
- Raisa
- Raissa
Related forms: Raisa · Raïssa
Pronouncing Raissa
rah-EE-suh
Three syllables, stressed on the second.
Nicknames for Raissa
Limited
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
- 1959
- Most girls named
- 198920 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #4493reached in 1966
- Change vs 2023
- +80.0%9 in 2024, 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.
Raissa in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Raisa in Russian — transliteration
- Raïssa in French — same name
Raissas among us
people named Raissa 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
Raissa 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 connects to two admired women.
- Raya is a lovely short form.
- People may read it as RAY-suh or RY-suh.
- Its meaning is not settled.
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What they receive
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Raissa
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Raissas 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 Raissa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Raissa in 2025?
- Raissa is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Raissa with classmates?
- Raissa will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Ruth#173 · Rebecca#349 · Rachel#250 · Rose#114 · Ruby#64 · Robin#704 · Rita#1285 · Rhonda#6116
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Raissa? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Raissa and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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