Laryssa
A feminine name derived from the Greek word "laurion," meaning "laurel plant."
Name Census estimates that about 1,189 living Americans carry the first name Laryssa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Laryssa today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Laryssa births was 1968 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Laryssa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Laryssa with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 288,271 Americans
Peak year
1968
67 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,380
Tracked since 1968
Census
Laryssa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,173 people with the first name Laryssa, which placed it at #11,087 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,087
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,173 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laryssa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Laryssa is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.4%) and Black (9.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Laryssa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Laryssa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.5% · 698
- Hispanic or Latino23.4% · 275
- Black or African American9.6% · 113
- Two or more races4.7% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 14
Popularity
Laryssa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Laryssa from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 386 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Laryssa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Laryssa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Laryssas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Laryssa, while New York, Massachusetts, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 53 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Laryssa
The name Laryssa is a feminine given name with origins tracing back to ancient Greece. It is derived from the Greek word "laurea," which means "laurel wreath." The laurel wreath was a symbol of victory, honor, and achievement in ancient Greek culture.
In Greek mythology, the laurel tree was sacred to the god Apollo, and its leaves were woven into crowns worn by poets, scholars, and heroes. The name Laryssa may have been bestowed upon individuals who exhibited exceptional talents or accomplishments, as the laurel wreath signified triumph and recognition.
The earliest recorded use of the name Laryssa can be found in ancient Greek texts and inscriptions. One notable historical figure with this name was Laryssa of Ephesus, a renowned philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 4th century BC. She was known for her contributions to the field of geometry and her teachings at the renowned city of Ephesus.
Throughout history, the name Laryssa has been associated with various notable individuals. In the 15th century, Laryssa Palaiologina was a Byzantine princess who played a significant role in the political and cultural affairs of her time. During the Renaissance period, Laryssa Veneziano was an Italian painter and sculptor known for her exquisite works of art.
In the 19th century, Laryssa Mikhailovna Saltykov was a Russian noblewoman and philanthropist who dedicated her life to charitable causes and the advancement of education. Another notable figure was Laryssa Petipa, a renowned Russian ballerina and choreographer who lived from 1856 to 1944, and made significant contributions to the world of dance.
The name Laryssa has also been carried by individuals in more recent times, such as Laryssa Alexandrovna Kuznetsova, a Soviet Olympic gymnast who competed in the 1960s and earned multiple medals for her exceptional performances.
While the name Laryssa has its roots in ancient Greek culture, it has transcended borders and time, appearing in various parts of the world and across different eras. Its connection to the laurel wreath and its symbolism of honor and achievement has endured, making it a name that carries a sense of distinction and accomplishment.
People
Laryssa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Laryssa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Laryssa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laryssa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,189 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Laryssa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 288,271 US residents.
Is Laryssa a common name?
We classify Laryssa as "Rare". It ranks above 91.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,239 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Laryssa most popular?
The single biggest year for Laryssa was 1968, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Laryssa is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Laryssa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,173 people with the name Laryssa, or 0.39 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,087 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Laryssa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Laryssa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Laryssa appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,173 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Laryssa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Laryssa is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.4%) and Black (9.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Laryssa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Laryssa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.5% (698 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Laryssa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Laryssa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Laryssa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Laryssa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Laryssa in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Laryssa can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Laryssa?
Want to know how many Americans are named Laryssa? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.