From Latin 'clarus' meaning bright, clear, or famous. Popularized by Richardson's 1748 novel.
Clarissa descends from the Latin adjective clarus, meaning “clear,” “bright,” or “famous.” It is closely related to Clara and Claire, but Clarissa developed as a more elaborate, courtly form, probably shaped by Italian and medieval Latin usage. The name carries a long tradition of brightness in both literal and moral senses: clarity of mind, renown, and radiance all hover around it.
In Catholic history, the name is also associated with the Poor Clares, founded by Saint Clare of Assisi, though Clarissa itself is a distinct form rather than simply a direct saint’s name. Its strongest literary association is Samuel Richardson’s 1748 novel Clarissa, one of the great works of English literature. Richardson’s heroine, Clarissa Harlowe, gave the name a powerful emotional and intellectual profile: virtuous, intelligent, and tragically memorable.
That book helped fix Clarissa in the cultural imagination as a name of refinement and inward seriousness. Over time, the name moved through different shades of style. In some eras it sounded aristocratic and formal; in others, sweet and romantic.
It has never vanished entirely, but its popularity has risen and fallen as tastes shifted between ornate classics and shorter forms. Today Clarissa often feels elegant and underused, familiar without being common. It retains a literary polish and a sense of old-fashioned grace, but its crisp opening sound and melodic finish keep it from feeling heavy. It is a name that has traveled from Roman brightness to Enlightenment fiction to modern revival.