Marisa

Marisa dates back to 1956 on the U.S. female naming charts. In fact, in 1956 Marisa debuted at position #533 out of 1000 right out of the gate. Usually names inch onto the charts, but Marisa came on with a bit of a splash. Why? At the end of 1955 a film was released (The Rose Tattoo – based on a Tennessee Williams play) starring a young Italian-American actress Marisa Pavan. The pretty young actress was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and American movie audiences were introduced to her name on a larger scale. The name saw another little bump in usage in 1966 when iconic actor John Wayne named his daughter Marisa (with his Peruvian wife Pilar Pallete). Marisa continued to climb the charts during the 1970s and 80s as the Hispanic-American population grew (it has done particularly well in the states of Hawaii and New Mexico). It reached a high point at position #167 on the charts in 1977 (not quite a Top 150, but awfully close). Then Marisa reached her second peak in 1994-1995 when the name got even higher at #146 (her best ever) – this time influenced by the very talented and likable Italian-American actress Marisa Tomei. Since the mid-1990s, however, Marisa has been declining in usage. Her drops on the charts have become even more pronounced since 2005. This is a name fast going out of style. Not even Victoria's Secret Angel and gorgeous Sports Illustrated swimsuit supermodel Marisa Miller can revive it. Regardless, this is definitely a pretty name for a pretty girl.