Karissa
Karissa is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Karissa Boudreau, Canadian murder victim Karissa Cook, American volleyball player Karissa Sanbonmatsu, American biologist Karissa Schweizer, American runner Karissa Whitsell, American cyclist Karissa and Katie Strain, Canadian actresses
- English
Meaning & Origin of Karissa
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Karissa is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Karissa Boudreau, Canadian murder victim Karissa Cook, American volleyball player Karissa Sanbonmatsu, American biologist Karissa Schweizer, American runner Karissa Whitsell, American cyclist Karissa and Katie Strain, Canadian actresses
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Karissa
The earliest SSA record of Karissa as a baby girl name dates back to 1961, when 8 babies received it. 1991 was its biggest year on record, with 901 newborns named Karissa — #306 in the national rankings. The 1990s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 37% of all recorded Karissas. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #3,097 among baby girl names with 52 births, falling sharply (-42%). In total, more than 20K Karissas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Karissa
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Karissa. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Karissa
Phonetically similar names — useful when Karissa is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Karissa
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About the name Karissa
Karissa is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1961 and has accumulated 20K births in the dataset. Karissa's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #306. Use the chart and map above to compare Karissa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1991 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.