For women named Risa, in all its spellings:
Reesa, Resa, Rissa, Reisa, Riesa, Raesa, Reasa, Riza, Risë, Reza, Reiza, Rhesa, Rhysa...

"Risa," from the Latin for "one who laughs"

Although I spent my childhood thinking I was alone and different because I had such a "weird" name, I've since come to appreciate my moniker and have met other women and girls who share it.

In the 1950s, my mother would often mention an opera singer named Risë Stevens, but I knew of no other public figures so named until I heard of contemporary country singer Reesa Kay Stevens. I never saw any TV characters with the name until 1998, when both the "Seinfeld" and "Caroline in the City" shows ran episodes with a character named Reesa. (Both were Jewish.)

A number of other Reesas have found me on the Internet and contacted me, and I thought it would be fun to host a forum for all of us. Let's look at the origin of our name together and share what we know. Is there a Jewish or Biblical connection to the name? Are Reesa and Risa both from Latin?

So if you share this unusual and beautiful name, you're eligible to join the Reesa Society. So let's investigate our heritage and chat together on this site.