Marissa


Marissa/Marisa is a modern invention--adding the suffix -issa (as in Clarissa, Larisa) to the name Maria. Because of its similarity to the Latin word for "sea" (mare) and the Latin phrase Stella Maris "Star of the sea," which is one of the names of the Virgin Mary, it is often recorded in baby name books as having a nautical meaning.
See Also: Marisa.