Elisa
Elisa was the 458th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 674 babies. Its best year was 1981, when it ranked 311th; the most babies were born in 2012 (849). Over the last ten years it has moved up 31 places. More babies were named Elisa in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Elizabeth · Hebrew
Say it ih-LEE-suh /ɪˈlisə/
- Rank in 2025
- #458 girls, up 53 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 674girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2012849 babies
- Total since 1880
- 47,804babies recorded
What does the name Elisa mean?
Elisa is a short form of Elisabeth (Elizabeth), used as a name in its own right in Italian, Spanish, German and other languages; Wiktionary also calls it a spelling variant of French Elise. Elizabeth goes back through Greek to Hebrew Elisheva, which DMNES glosses "my God is an oath". Wikipedia mentions two other suggestions: a link with Elissa, the legendary queen of Carthage also called Dido, and with the biblical Elisha.
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Hebrew, “Elisheva, 'my God is an oath'”)
How sure is this? Probable. Most sources treat Elisa as a form of Elizabeth; Wikipedia also mentions Phoenician Elissa (Dido) and Elisha.
Pronunciation: Spanish and Italian speakers say eh-LEE-sah.
Related names: Elise, Eliza, Elizabeth, Lisa, Elissa.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elisa', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Elisa (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Elizabeth', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Elisa
The usual nicknames for Elisa are Lisa and Ellie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Elisa in the last five years, 827 were named Ellie, against 284 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa | Traditional | #991 | 1,375 |
| Ellie · also for Elouise, Eliora, Eleanor | Modern | #24 | 30,119 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Elisas go by each one.
Elisa popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 143 since 1921.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #458 | 674 |
| 2020 | #511 | 595 |
| 2010 | #497 | 602 |
| 2000 | #520 | 509 |
| 1990 | #422 | 601 |
| 1980 | #339 | 713 |
| 1970 | #359 | 687 |
| 1960 | #432 | 514 |
| 1950 | #814 | 115 |
| 1940 | #773 | 83 |
| 1930 | #611 | 129 |
| 1920 | #718 | 102 |
| 1910 | #726 | 34 |
| 1900 | #812 | 21 |
| 1890 | #767 | 13 |
| 1880 | #858 | 5 |
How popular is Elisa, counting every spelling?
Elisa is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #455 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #458 for Elisa on its own. Together these spellings went to 700 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elisa | 674 | #458 | 3,641 |
| Elyssa | 26 | #5,014 | 232 |
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 Elisa?
674 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Elisa (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Elisa 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 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Elisa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Elisa?
About 42,100 people born in the US named Elisa are alive today, with a median age of 36; half are between 16 and 53. That makes Elisa mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Elisa by state
How common Elisa was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.5×), New Mexico (2.3×), Massachusetts (2.1×), California (2.0×), Texas (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Elisa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Elisa, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Elisa · Sibling names for Elisa
Questions about the name Elisa
What does Elisa mean?
Elisa means “short form of Elizabeth” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Elisa?
Elisa was the 458th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 674 babies. Its best year was 1981, when it ranked 311th; the most babies were born in 2012 (849). Over the last ten years it has moved up 31 places. More babies were named Elisa in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Elisa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Elisa in the US.
Where is Elisa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Elisa was most common in Arizona (1.10 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Mexico and Massachusetts.