Nerissa - name meaning, origin

The girl's name Nerissa \n(e)-

is of Italian origin, and its meaning is "black-haired". From Nericcia. Created by Shakespeare for the name of Portia's waiting woman in "The Merchant of Venice". Also possibly derived from Nereida (Spanish, Greek) "sea nymph" or a variant based on Marisa or Marissa.

Nerissa has 4 variant forms: Narissa, Naryssa, Nericcia and Neryssa.

For more information, see also the related name Nerine.

Baby names that sound like Nerissa are Neriss and Norissa.

Nerissa is a somewhat common first name for women (#2774 out of 4276) but an uncommon last name for both men and women. (1990 U.S. Census)

Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the girl name Nerissa. Compare Nerissa with its variant forms and related girl names.