Larissa (given name)

Larissa (Ancient Greek: Λάρισα) is a female given name of Greek origin that is common in Eastern European nations of Orthodox church heritage. It is derived either from Larissa, a nymph in Greek mythology who was a daughter of Pelasgus, or from the name of the ancient city of Larissa in Greece which meant "citadel" or "fortress" in a now extinct Pre-Greek substrate language. The name is spelled Λάρισα in modern Greek and Лариса in Cyrillic, and based on either may also be Latinised as Larisa. It is used in Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, and Latvian languages. In 2009, Larisa was the 21st most common name for girls born in Romania. A Russian short form is Lara, made famous through Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago (1957). Notable people with the name include: Saint Larissa (died c.375), early martyr Larissa Adler Lomnitz (1932–2019), French-born Chilean-Mexican social anthropologist Larissa Anderson (born 1977), Australian basketball player Larissa Araújo (born 1992), Brazilian handball player Larissa Barata (born 1987), Brazilian rhythmic gymnast Larissa Behrendt (born 1969), Australian legal academic, writer, filmmaker and Indigenous rights advocate Larissa Bertényi (born 2000), Swiss hurdler Larissa Burak (born 1968), Ukrainian-Australian bandurist and mezzo-soprano singer Larissa Carvalho (born 1985), Brazilian tennis player Larissa Carvalho (rugby union) (born 2003), Brazilian rugby sevens player Larissa Chouaib (born 1966), Lebanese table tennis player Larissa Cieslak (born 1987), Brazilian swimmer Larissa Crummer (born 1996), Australian footballer Larissa de Macedo Machado (Anitta) Larissa Dias (born 1998), Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor from Brazil Larissa Eifler (born 1999), German fencer Larissa FastHorse, American dramatist Larissa Fiallo (born 1983), Miss Dominican Republic in the 2004 Miss Universe pageant Larissa França (born 1982), Brazilian beach volleyball player Larissa Franklin (born 1993), Canadian softball player Larissa Grunig (born 1946), American public relations theorist Larissa Henwood (born 1994), Brazil international rugby union player...