Larissa: Meaning of Baby Name Larissa

About the Name Larissa

Larissa is a name of Greek origin associated with the ancient Thessalian city of Larissa (also spelled Larisa), one of the most important cities of classical Greece, located in the fertile Plain of Thessaly. The city's name may derive from the pre-Greek or Pelasgian word for a fortified place, and it became a personal name through the classical Greek tradition of naming children after significant places and mythological figures. A nymph named Larissa appears in Greek mythology as a daughter of Pelasgus, and the name's meaning is sometimes given as "cheerful" or "citadel," reflecting both the mythological associations and the ancient city's prominence.

Larissa first entered the US Social Security top-1000 in 2000 and peaked in 2004 at its best rank of #448. It remained on the chart through 2012, last appearing at #848 with 315 births, accumulating 6,158 total top-1000 births over its thirteen-year run. The 2010 figure of 368 births at #755 shows a mid-career plateau before the final decline, a pattern typical of classical names that find a dedicated but ultimately limited American audience.

Larissa's appeal is its combination of classical depth and flowing, four-syllable femininity — a name that sounds both ancient and melodic. It occupies a slightly exotic space in American naming, familiar enough to pronounce easily but unusual enough to feel distinctive. Recorded variants include Lara, Larisa, Lissa, and Risa, offering a spectrum from the full classical form down to crisp two-letter nicknames — a range that gives families considerable flexibility with a name of genuine Hellenic heritage.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.

Quick Facts About Larissa

1,029

Greek baby names in our dictionary

545

Greek female names

196

7-letter L-names in our dictionary

530

L-female names total

2000–2012

years of US SSA records (13 total)

6,158

total US births named Larissa (all years)

US Popularity History (2000–2012)

📉 Falling fast: Larissa dropped 258 places in the US girls ranking over the last 5 years (#590 in 2007 → #848 in 2012).

Annual US births named Larissa by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2004 with 682 girls named Larissa (girl rank #448 that year).

Where it stands today: in 2012, ranked #848 for girls (315 US births). That's 400 places below its 2004 peak.

Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.

Variant Forms

Name	Meaning	Gender	Origin
Lara	Protection. Popular Surname And Place Name.	Female	Spanish
Lissa	Honey	Female	English
Risa	Laughter	Female	Spanish

Looking for names like Larissa?

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Compare Larissa to Other Popular Names

Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Larissa against today's most popular girls-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).

Larissa vs Olivia 210,124 births since 2014

Larissa vs Emma 202,477 births since 2014

Larissa vs Sophia 169,709 births since 2014

Larissa vs Isabella 158,431 births since 2014

Larissa vs Ava 157,356 births since 2014

Larissa vs Charlotte 151,872 births since 2014

Larissa vs Mia 149,779 births since 2014

Larissa vs Amelia 142,728 births since 2014

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