Nerissa
About Nerissa
An offbeat possible replacement for the overused Melissa and Marisa, Nerissa was used by Shakespeare for Portia's witty confidante in The Merchant of Venice. Queen Elizabeth has a cousin named Nerissa.
As of October 2026, Nerissa ranked #10681 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1585 in 1979.
Editor's take: The name Nerissa is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "from the sea".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Nerissa.
- Demetria
- Anthea
- Ravenna
- Xiomara
- Celestina
- Melisande
- Indira
- Lúthien
- Oriana
- Alethea
- Xenia
- Valencia
- Morrigan
- Estrella
- Nerida
- Astoria
- Verena
- Cerelia
- Theia
- Cybele
Nerissa on lists
Famous Nerissas
- Nerissa Jane Irene Bowes
Lyon, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II
- Nerissa Bretania Underwood
Guamanian Senator
- Nerissa Love
late fiancee of cricketer Bob Blair; portrayed in film "Tangiwai"
- Nerissa Nields
American singer,songwriter of duo The Nields
- Nerissa Corazon Soon
Ruiz, Filipina politician
Nerissa in pop culture
- Nerissa
character in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"
- Nerissa
villain on TV's "W.I.T.C.H"
- Nerissa
the "little mermaid" from the game series, 'The Wolf Amongst Us'
- Nerissa
Luxa's frail cousin in Gregor The Overlander
- Nerissa
water faerie and the mother of Mark and Helen Blackthorn in Cassandra Clare's books