Rissa has always been a logical nickname for Clarissa and other -rissa names. But it first appeared as an independent name in the U.S. baby name data in 1947:
- 1949: 5 baby girls named Rissa
- 1948: unlisted
- 1947: 5 baby girls named Rissa [debut]
- 1946: unlisted
- 1945: unlisted
This was the year the movie Time Out of Mind came out. One of the central characters was Clarissa “Rissa” Fortune, played by actress Ella Raines.
The protagonist was her brother, Chris, an aspiring composer/pianist who had to battle various things — his stern father, his spoiled wife, his own alcoholism — while trying to find his footing as an artist.
What are your thoughts on the name Rissa? Do you like it as a standalone name, or do you prefer it as a nickname for a -rissa name (like Clarissa, Nerissa, Marissa, or Larissa)?
P.S. I also mentioned Rissa in the Risë post.
Source: Time Out of Mind (1947) – TCM, SSA