
Origin, Meaning, And History Of Marissa
Marissa is a common feminine first name in western culture. Originally, it is a whimsical expansion of the name Maria. The Latinized version of the English name Mary is Maria. The names Maria and Mary are both derived from Miriam in the New Testament. It is a variant of the Latin word Maris, which means “of the sea.” Merissa, Marisa, or Marrisa are other possible spellings. Marissa, another name for the Virgin Mary, also means “small Mary.”
Later in the 20th century, the name Marissa was created in the US. It wasn’t one of the top 1,000 baby names, but in 1963, when it secured the 988th most prevalent position, it broke through. Marissa made it to the top 100 list of the most popular female names in 1989 after 25 years of development. However, the popularity of the name then began to fall once more.
It seems that names such as Mackenzie, Makenna, and Makayla are the new variations of the names Marissa, Melissa, and Melanie. Hence, Marissa can also be appropriately used as a middle name.
Parents generally prefer the name Marissa; however, some may want to get more creative and use one of its alternatives. Therefore, a few variants borrowed from other cultures that can be used as a variant are Marrisa, Marrissa, Marisa, Merissa, Maris, Maria, and Mary.
Marissa has been moderately powerful in the fictional world too. Mischa Barton plays the fictitious character Marissa Cooper in the FOX television program The O.C., where she is one of the show’s original “core four” characters. She was raised in a wealthy household and is a resident of the affluent state of California. She lives next door to the Cohens. Another fictitious character in the soap opera All My Children is named Marissa Tasker. The role was played by Brittany Allen and Sarah Glendening, consecutively.
How To Pronounce Marissa?
Famous People With The Name Marissa
- Marissa Jaret WinokurAmerican actress and singer, known for her performance as Tracy Turnblad in the Broadway musical Hairspray
- Santina Marissa RibisiAmerican actress well-known for films like Dazed and Confused, True Crime and The Brady Bunch Movie
- Marissa DelgadoFilipino actress of American descent, worked in around 90 films from 1965
- Marissa Irvin GouldAmerican former tennis player and author, competed in 22 Grand Slams during her career
Marissa On The Popularity Chart
Marissa has encountered many fluctuations in the last two decades. Let us study the graph to understand more.
Popularity Over Time
From 1988 to 2008, the name was at its peak popularity. However, after that, Marissa encountered a steep fall. Have a look at the graph below to know more.
Source: Social Security AdministrationRank Over Time
From 1989 to 2005, Marissa stayed among the top 100 names. However, after 2005 the name has never been able to gain its previous position. Check out the graph below to see the current rankings.
Source: Social Security AdministrationNames With Similar Sound As Marissa
From 1989 to 2005, Marissa stayed among the top 100 names. However, after 2005 the name has never been able to gain its previous position. Check out the graph below to see the current rankings.
Names With Similar Meaning As Marissa
From 1989 to 2005, Marissa stayed among the top 100 names. However, after 2005 the name has never been able to gain its previous position. Check out the graph below to see the current rankings.
Name Numerology For Marissa


