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Larissa as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Larissa

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The baby name Larissa is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ləˈrɪsə/ (luh-RISS-uh).

Larissa is Greek in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: /ləˈrɪsə/ (luh-RISS-uh)

What is the meaning of the name Larissa ?

The baby name Larissa is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ləˈrɪsə/ (luh-RISS-uh).

Larissa is Greek in Origin.

Rooted in Greek, Larissa derives from the ancient Thessalian city Λάρισα, probably from a pre‑Greek (Pelasgian) word meaning “citadel” or “fortress.” In myth, Larissa is a nymph associated with Thessaly; the toponym later became a given name across the Greek world. Common pronunciations include LA-ree-sa (Greek, Russian) and luh-RISS-uh (English).

Use spread through the Christian East via Saint Larisa (Larissa) of Gothia, anchoring the form Larisa/Лариса in Russia and neighboring Slavic lands, where Lara serves as a familiar short form. Western Europe adopted Larissa in the 19th‑century classical revival; English use rose in the mid‑20th century, helped by Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago, which popularized Lara as a diminutive. Today the spelling Larissa is standard in Greek, German, and Portuguese, especially common in Brazil, while Larysa (Ukrainian/Belarusian), Laryssa and Larisa are established variants. Diminutives and nicknames include Lara, Rissa, and Lari.

Larissa has the following similar or variant Names

Celebrity babies named Larissa

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Larissa Kerner Nena singer ★★★★★

Larissa – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2024 #1 — 911
Germany Girls 2025 #1 — 411
BI 0 #12 1 425
BF Girls 0 #17 1 315
BR Girls 0 #17 15,316 12,708
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
BI Girls 0 #28 6 726
BR 0 #29 945 5,969
EE 0 #35 3 1,051
HN Girls 0 #38 1 884
CM Girls 0 #42 1,694 11,671
CM 0 #42 14 2,592
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
EE Girls 0 #47 108 1,888
Austria Girls 2014 #54 133 60
KZ 0 #62 30 1,452
LU 0 #62 5 2,830
AO 0 #70 8 2,729
JP 0 #75 3 4,057
SI 0 #78 3 1,612
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
RS 0 #84 1 923
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
MD Girls 0 #92 1 865
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
GE Girls 0 #108 1 1,564
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
PA 0 #110 21 3,797
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
OM 0 #116 6 6,215
CY Girls 0 #118 8 3,755
EC 0 #120 2 2,502
Switzerland Girls 2024 #121 15 1,786
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
GR 0 #135 1 3,911
KZ Girls 0 #135 306 5,862
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
MT Girls 0 #140 12 3,773
LU Girls 0 #149 37 4,850
AO Girls 0 #159 51 4,575
CR 0 #159 7 5,526
JP Girls 0 #160 89 6,592
PR Girls 0 #165 3 3,171
Sweden Girls 2022 #169 11 1,568
Germany Girls 0 #170 2,144 4,949
Austria 0 #173 41 850
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
SI Girls 0 #175 3 2,769
RU 0 #178 12 3,641
Austria Girls 0 #180 382 1,885
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
AE 0 #184 4 10,220
CZ 0 #184 3 3,154
AR 0 #191 3 2,915
Belgium Girls 2009 #195 26 402
LT Girls 0 #198 3 1,904
DK 0 #204 3 5,198
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
HU Girls 0 #218 8 3,308
LU Boys 0 #220 1 4,970
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
AL Girls 0 #227 1 4,141
BG Girls 0 #227 5 3,559
GR Girls 0 #231 12 6,293
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
NA Girls 0 #231 7 7,146
PT 0 #237 10 4,161
NL Girls 0 #240 1,585 5,933
GH 0 #246 3 5,396
PA Girls 0 #246 275 9,861
EC Girls 0 #253 6 3,650
MO Girls 0 #259 5 7,056
PT Girls 0 #263 218 7,952
Germany 0 #267 179 2,542
HR Girls 0 #272 18 3,687
JM Girls 0 #277 2 7,507
NL 0 #277 117 2,481
SG 0 #277 6 11,010
IL 0 #279 4 6,291
Canada Girls 2024 #280 6 2,795
TW Girls 0 #282 8 8,139
Finland 0 #289 19 830
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
DK Girls 0 #300 17 7,429
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
Finland Girls 0 #305 89 1,368
MU Girls 0 #314 38 8,539
PE 0 #321 9 6,350
CN Girls 0 #322 28 8,829
RU Girls 0 #329 183 11,913
CN Boys 0 #331 1 9,639
GT 0 #332 7 5,948
GH Girls 0 #334 4 6,973
JO Girls 0 #334 6 7,570
QA Girls 0 #335 9 15,378
CZ Girls 0 #348 4 5,378
MX 0 #349 65 8,339
MY 0 #354 1 12,352
HK 0 #355 3 8,483
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
PL Girls 0 #358 7 5,096
BO 0 #372 10 6,868
PH Girls 0 #376 15 13,098
OM Girls 0 #377 20 15,987
PT Boys 0 #379 3 7,951
France Girls 2021 #394 12 3,185
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
CL 0 #400 12 6,867
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
ZA 0 #412 36 14,421
Spain 0 #433 20 2,326
CR Girls 0 #460 73 11,342
KW Girls 0 #462 54 19,177
GT Girls 0 #463 43 7,500
UY Girls 0 #465 46 6,731
Finland Girls 2026 #470 379 3,895
PS Girls 0 #474 50 10,981
CM Boys 0 #500 51 12,054
PA Boys 0 #503 3 9,305
CO 0 #506 5 7,768
AE Girls 0 #518 36 20,968
IQ Girls 0 #521 5 11,303
RU Boys 0 #524 3 12,621
IL Girls 0 #543 75 11,648
IR Girls 0 #544 2 8,334
SG Girls 0 #550 37 18,916
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
LY 0 #559 1 12,703
BO Girls 0 #564 48 9,488
LB 0 #570 89 13,263
BR Boys 0 #572 183 12,213
AR Girls 0 #573 27 8,289
BH 0 #583 5 17,937
HK Girls 0 #584 32 16,104
MX Girls 0 #609 816 17,781
IT 0 #618 97 4,183
IT Girls 0 #619 1,285 9,415
BO Boys 0 #621 2 9,244
IN Girls 0 #652 3 13,121
SY 0 #673 56 11,684
CL Boys 0 #700 1 13,390
QA Boys 0 #739 5 18,093
NG Girls 0 #775 12 15,093
United States Girls 2024 #788 129 8,487
PE Girls 0 #795 150 14,861
KW Boys 0 #800 7 18,755
TN 0 #804 26 13,765
CL Girls 0 #813 39 14,098
Spain Girls 0 #814 170 5,561
OM Boys 0 #910 9 17,948
SA Girls 0 #920 16 25,931
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
ZA Girls 0 #944 198 25,928
EG Girls 0 #948 12 14,742
MY Girls 0 #966 29 24,821
MX Boys 0 #973 10 16,355
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
CO Girls 0 #1,020 59 16,140
MA 0 #1,094 35 20,986
TR 0 #1,138 74 19,440
DZ 0 #1,153 24 20,130
MY Boys 0 #1,182 1 25,439
ZA Boys 0 #1,272 1 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,461 11 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,685 7 28,008

Larissa is popular in 88 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
Scotland, United Kingdom
Switzerland
United States

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Larissa

Larissa is predominantly a girl's name.
Larissa is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /ləˈrɪsə/ (luh-RISS-uh).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Larisa, Larysa, Larisah, Laryssa, Lari and Risa.
Across languages, Larissa has these equivalents: {'Greek': 'Λαρίσσα (Larissa), 'Russian': 'Лариса (Larisa), 'Ukrainian': 'Лариса (Larysa).
Yes, very popular — Larissa ranked #1 in Ireland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 11 countries.
Larissa ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2024).
Larissa's popularity is rising. It moved from #399 in 2011 to #394 in 2021 in France.
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Larissa for their child, including Nena.