Anissa
- Pronunciation
- [A-ni-ssa]
- Gender
- Female
- Meaning
- Variant Of Anne Or Agnes.
- Origin
- English
About the Name Anissa
Anissa is a melodic name usually understood as a variant of Anne or Agnes, anchoring it to two venerable traditions: the Hebrew Hannah ("grace") behind Anne, and the Greek hagnos ("pure" or "holy") behind Agnes. The extra syllable and flowing ending give Anissa a softer, more exotic feel than its sources while keeping a clear, easy pronunciation. It belongs to the lovely family of "-issa" names that parents have long favored for their gentle rhythm and romantic finish.
The name had a focused run at the turn of the millennium. Anissa first entered the US Social Security top-1000 in 2000, reached its best rank of #737 in 2003, and slipped off the list after 2004, when it stood at #903. In all it was given to about 1,517 girls during its top-1000 years, the profile of a graceful early-2000s choice that enjoyed a brief but genuine moment of popularity before becoming the rarer pick it is today.
Anissa appeals to parents who want the heritage of Anne or Agnes with a more modern, lyrical finish, and it pairs naturally with related favorites like Alyssa, Marissa, and Larissa. It offers gentle nickname options such as Annie and Nissa for everyday warmth. Recorded variants include Anessa and Anyssa, giving parents subtly different looks for the same soft, three-syllable name.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Anissa
US Popularity History (2000–2004)
Annual US births named Anissa by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2003 with 345 girls named Anissa (girl rank #737 that year).
Where it stands today: in 2004, ranked #903 for girls (268 US births). That's 166 places below its 2003 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.
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Variant Forms
Looking for names like Anissa?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Anissa to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Anissa against today's most popular girls-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).