Declining since 1994.
Popularity of Merissa since 1962
Babies named Merissa per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 17 |
| 1970s | 306 |
| 1980s | 853 |
| 1990s | 1,400 |
| 2000s | 711 |
| 2010s | 125 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Merissa is a modern feminine name that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1962. It reached its peak popularity in 1995, then began a steady decline, falling out of the top 1,000 by the early 2000s. The name was most common in the 1990s, with 1 in every [X] (exact figure not provided) girls given the name during that decade. Its trajectory has been consistently downward since 1994, reflecting a shift away from the '-issa' ending trend. Though no top states are recorded for Merissa, its style aligns with other names from the same era.
Merissa is a modern English coinage, likely a respelling or blend of Melissa (from Greek for 'honeybee') and Marissa (a variant of Maris, Latin for 'of the sea'). It first appeared in the United States in the early 1960s and saw peak use in the mid-1990s, reflecting a trend of creating melodic, feminine names with the popular '-issa' ending.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Rissa, Missy, Merri
Sibling names for Merissa
Names that share Merissa's style, for a brother or sister.
