Clarissa is a distinctive choice, ranked #1603 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Clarissa in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#1603
US Rank #947
About the Name Clarissa
Clarissa is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 84 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #410 in 1996 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Clarissa is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #947, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Clarissa
Unlikely. With around 19 UK babies named Clarissa per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Clarissa in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Clarissa is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 84 places over the last five years to #1603 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Clarissa is more popular in the US (#947) than in the UK (#1603). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Clarissa include: Clarissa Molina — Clarissa Molina Contreras is a Dominican actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Dominican Republic 2015 and represented the Dominican...; Clarissa Pinkola Estés — Clarissa Pinkola Estés is a Mexican-American writer and Jungian psychoanalyst.; Clarissa Chun — Clarissa Kyoko Mei Ling Chun (陳美玲) is the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes Women's wrestling program, formerly, the USA Wrestling assistant National coach and....
Clarissa does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Clarissas in the wild.
19
UK babies named Clarissa (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 84 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Clarissa
Likely around 1 other Clarissa in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2021)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Clarissa
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Clarissa Molina Contreras is a Dominican actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Dominican Republic 2015 and represented the Dominican Republic at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant. She later won the title of Nuestra Belleza Latina 2016 after having placed third Runner-Up the previous year.
Clarissa Pinkola Estés is a Mexican-American writer and Jungian psychoanalyst. She is the author of Women Who Run with the Wolves, which remained on the New York Times bestseller list for 145 weeks and has sold over two million copies.
Clarissa Kyoko Mei Ling Chun (陳美玲) is the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes Women's wrestling program, formerly, the USA Wrestling assistant National coach and an American Olympic women's freestyle 48 kg (105.5 lbs) wrestler. Chun was the first female wrestler from Hawaii to win a medal at the Olympics.