Alisa
Alisa was the 1654th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 125 babies. Its best year was 1969, when it ranked 261st; the most babies were born in 1970 (1,153). Over the last ten years it has moved down 620 places. More babies were named Alisa in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Alyssa) Origin uncertain · American English, Greek, Germanic
- Rank in 2025
- #1,654 girls, down 427 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 125girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19701,153 babies
- Total since 1880
- 34,727babies recorded
What does the name Alisa mean?
Alisa is a spelling of Alyssa, pronounced the same way, so it shares Alyssa's meaning and origin.
Alyssa is a 20th-century name with no single documented origin. Wiktionary lists three possibilities: the garden plant alyssum, from Greek a-, "not", and lyssa, "rabies" (it was thought to cure it); a form of Alicia, the Latinized Alice, from Germanic adal, "noble"; or Elissa, another name of Dido, queen of Carthage. It was especially popular in the US in the 1990s and 2000s.
ἄλυσσον (Ancient Greek, “alyssum (plant)”)adalheit (Old High German, “nobility (via Alice/Alicia)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Three proposed sources; none documented as the actual origin.
Related names: Alissa, Alysa, Elissa, Alicia.
See also: American names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Alyssa', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Alice', DMNES, Durham University
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elissa', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
Alisa popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 22 since 1963.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,654 | 125 |
| 2020 | #1,227 | 186 |
| 2010 | #931 | 278 |
| 2000 | #611 | 415 |
| 1990 | #459 | 533 |
| 1980 | #374 | 621 |
| 1970 | #265 | 1,153 |
| 1960 | #395 | 584 |
| 1950 | #2,537 | 16 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Alisa, counting every spelling?
Alisa is a spelling of Alyssa, a name family that ranked #359 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,654 for Alisa on its own. Together these spellings went to 918 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alyssa | 680 | #453 | 4,805 |
| Alisa | 125 | #1,654 | 802 |
| Alissa | 99 | #1,942 | 636 |
| Alysa | 9 | #10,155 | 71 |
| Allyssa | 5 | #15,060 | 51 |
| Alyssah | — | — | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Alisa?
125 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alisa (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Alisa born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 67 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alisa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alisa?
About 32,500 people born in the US named Alisa are alive today, with a median age of 46; half are between 29 and 57. That makes Alisa mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Alisa by state
How common Alisa was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (2.0×), Florida (2.0×), California (1.8×), Washington (1.7×). In 35 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alisa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alisa, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Alisa
What does Alisa mean?
The origin of Alyssa is uncertain: Three proposed sources; none documented as the actual origin.
How popular is the name Alisa?
Alisa was the 1654th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 125 babies. Its best year was 1969, when it ranked 261st; the most babies were born in 1970 (1,153). Over the last ten years it has moved down 620 places. More babies were named Alisa in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Alisa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Alisa in the US.
Where is Alisa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Alisa was most common in New York (0.20 per 1,000 girls), followed by Florida and California.