Bright, clear, or famous
Clairissa is an elaborated variant of the name Clara or Claire. It stems from the Latin word 'clarus', which was used to denote both physical brightness and social fame or distinction.
Less common today
Clairissa isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #4,624 in 1994.
US births per 5-year period, 1990–present (SSA data).
The protagonist of Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs Dalloway · Mrs Dalloway
The main character of the 1990s television series Clarissa Explains It All · Clarissa Explains It All
The tragic heroine of Samuel Richardson's 18th-century novel · Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady
Better known as Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross
