Marissa

Where the name comes from

• American English
  A blend of two names, Mary and Melissa. It is a newer name made by joining two older ones, so it has no meaning of its own.
  Mary + Melissa
  Name scholar Cleveland Evans says Marissa was created in America in the 1800s. The oldest bearer he found in more than one census was born in Michigan in 1877. He thinks the name is probably decades older than that. Melissa comes from a Greek word meaning "honeybee." Mary comes from Maria, the Latin form of the name.
• Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (related name Marisa)
  A short blend of the double name María Luisa. In Spain and Portugal, Marisa can also come from María Isabel.
  María + Luisa (or María + Isabel)
  Marisa and Marissa began as separate names. Marisa first rhymed with Lisa, and Marissa rhymed with Melissa. Over time Americans mixed them up. Today most people say both names the same way.
• Popular meaning
  Popular meaning: "of the sea."
  Latin maris, "of the sea" (popular link)
  Many baby-name websites say this, but no scholarly source shows that Marissa actually comes from the Latin word. A related idea comes from Italy. Italians often link Marisa to Stella Maris, "Star of the Sea," a title of the Virgin Mary.

Marissa across traditions

• United States. Peak: the 1990s. Highest US rank was #53 in 1994. The 1990s were the name's best decade, when it ranked #63 overall.
• Spanish-speaking and Latin American. In Spanish, the related name Marisa grew out of double names that start with María, such as María Luisa and María Isabel.
• Christian (Catholic, especially Italian). Through Mary, the name is tied to the Virgin Mary. Italians often connect Marisa with Stella Maris, "Star of the Sea," one of Mary's titles.

Who carried it

• Marissa Cays (Born 1877): A Michigan woman. She is the oldest Marissa a name scholar found in more than one US census.
• Marisa Tomei (Born 1964): American actress who spells the name Marisa. She says it to rhyme with Melissa, the same way most people say Marissa.

Forms in other languages

Marisa, Merissa, Marrissa

Marissa in letter-number systems

Hebrew, Greek and other traditions gave every letter a number, and read meaning into the totals. These are the counts, computed; the readings are inside the Innerverse.