In the case of child actress Anissa Jones, who made the name popular, it is actually not a made-up name but a transcription of the Arabic أنيسة (Anissa, often also translated as Anisa), which means "friend, friendly". She pronounces her name as ah-NEE-sah and was given the name because her grandparents were Lebanese.Her full name was Mary Anissa Jones, but she was always called Anissa. [noted -ed]
― Anonymous User 5/25/2020
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I think it's Lebanese based on information regarding Anissa Jones and a search of Ancestry.com.
This name looks like the Arabic name Anisa with an extra 's' added in. Anisa means 'friendly' in Arabic. I have a friend named Anisa. I think it's really pretty and it suits her.
She pronounces her name as ah-NEE-sah and was given the name because her grandparents were Lebanese.
Her full name was Mary Anissa Jones, but she was always called Anissa. [noted -ed]