About the name Nerissa
Shakespeare appears to have coined Nerissa for Portia's quick-tongued companion in The Merchant of Venice, borrowing from the Greek nereids of the sea. It never caught on at scale, leaving it available to anyone who wants an ornate name with essentially no playground competition.
Nerissa is a girl name of Greek origin, pronounced neh-RISS-ah. On the NameRarity scale it scores 92 out of 100, which places it in the ultra rare band — fewer than 1 in 10,000 people carry this name. You will almost never meet another. Its strongest period was the 1980s.
Name facts at a glance
How popular is Nerissa?
Nerissa currently falls outside the US top 1,000, which is a large part of why it scores so highly for rarity. Roughly 2.1 people per million carry it — about 1 in 476,190. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.
Famous people named Nerissa
We have not catalogued a widely known public figure named Nerissa yet. That is part of what makes it a distinctive choice — the name is not already attached to someone else in most people's minds.
Spellings and variants of Nerissa
Names similar to Nerissa
Nimila
nih-MEE-laa
Serene of gaze, quietly composed
Nivritti
nih-VRIT-tee
Turning inward, the path of renunciation in Vedantic thought
Eulalia
yoo-LAY-lee-ah
Sweetly speaking, well-spoken
Iris
EYE-riss
Rainbow, messenger of the gods
Isadora
iz-ah-DOR-ah
Gift of Isis
Theodora
thee-oh-DOR-ah
Gift of God
Yolanda
yoh-LAN-dah
Violet flower
Aradhya
aa-RAAD-hyaa
One who is worthy of worship
Nerissa — frequently asked questions
What does the name Nerissa mean?
Nerissa means "From the sea". It is a name of Greek origin, most often given to a girl.
How do you pronounce Nerissa?
Nerissa is pronounced neh-RISS-ah, with 3 syllables.
How rare is the name Nerissa?
Nerissa scores 92 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it ultra rare. Roughly 1 in every 476,190 people carry it — about 2.1 per million.
What is the numerology number for Nerissa?
Nerissa carries the expression number 4, known as The Builder. Its soul urge number is 6 and its personality number is 7.
What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Nerissa?
The lucky number for Nerissa is 4 (with 13, 22, 31 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Deep Emerald. The traditional lucky day is Saturday and the associated gemstone is Emerald.