Larissa (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".[1] The name was later borne by the Christian martyr of the fourth century Saint Larissa. 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.[2] In 2009, Larisa was the 21st most common name for girls born in Romania.[3] A Russian short form is Lara, made famous through Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago (1957).[2]