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There was a Nerissa in my seventh grade. She made a positive impression on me. I like the name Nerissa. It isn't a favorite because I am just not into the N sound, and also not the Ner-sound. If only people (including me) could be trusted to say Nehr-issa and not N'rissa which sounds like nurse.

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I've never seen Nereida and I think of it as sorta mythological and difficult - the eida tries to be eye-da in my mind, like Oneida, and that is confusing. Then there's the ner. So, I like it less, but it is still nice and would be cool to see.

I quite like Nerissa and think it is grounded, yet light and fun. I am not crazy about Nereida, but I do like Nerida a lot. Not sure why. Growing up, the "ei" combo in my name seemed to be everyone's downfall in spelling, so I shy away from those name.

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Nerissa though. Lovely.
Just enough of the familiar to be endearing, and just different enough to be fresh.

I adore Nerissa! Nereida is also shimmeringly beautiful, but I prefer Nerissa.

I like both, but I think Nereida is slightly better than Nerissa because -issa reminds me of names like Melissa and also because Nereida has the word Nereid in it (it just seems more fantastical, or more directly mythological). I also like the calm but slightly dangerous or mysterious vibe that Nereida has.

I like both of them, but not enough to use. Other N names I like are Nephele, Nyssa, and Nigella.

Nerissa would spend her life explaining that, no, she really wasn't Melissa! Too inconvenient. And Nereida would have endless pronunciation issues.

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However, there's always Nerine or Nerina (neREEN, neREEna), which have the same derivation, are flower names and might just work. I've heard of Nerina being used, but personally I've only ever known one Nerine. I think they're usable.

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For the record, a nerine is a bulb with a pink flower like a lily; it's really pretty. Also known as the Guernsey lily, because a ship carrying a consignment of the bulbs from South Africa to Holland was shipwrecked off Guernsey and the bulbs washed up on the shore and grew.