A spelling variant of Clarissa, from Latin clarus, meaning bright, clear, or famous.
Klarissa is a Germanic-inflected variant of Clarissa, itself a Latinate elaboration of Clara, rooted in the Latin clarus — meaning "clear," "bright," or "famous." The name carries a luminous core meaning that has made it continuously appealing across centuries: there is something inherently hopeful about naming a child for brightness and clarity. Clarissa gained its most significant literary moment in 1748, when Samuel Richardson published his monumental epistolary novel Clarissa, considered one of the longest novels in the English language and one of the foundational texts of British fiction.
Richardson's heroine — complex, morally serious, and ultimately tragic — gave the name deep literary associations that persist in English-speaking cultures. The spelling Klarissa, with its Germanic K, shifts the center of gravity slightly toward Continental European traditions, where the K spelling reflects the name's sound more directly and has been used in German, Scandinavian, and Eastern European contexts. Today Klarissa appeals to parents who love the elegance of Clarissa but want a spelling that feels fresh and visually striking.
The K opener gives it a slightly more contemporary edge while the -issa ending preserves all the classical beauty of the original. It is a name that feels both vintage and modern simultaneously, rooted in light and fame.