Elizabeth
Elizabeth was the 17th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 6,760 babies. Its best year was 1887, when it ranked 3rd; the most babies were born in 1990 (20,750). Over the last ten years it has moved down 4 places. More babies were named Elizabeth in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning 'my God is an oath' · Hebrew
Say it ih-LIZ-uh-buth /ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/
- Rank in 2025
- #17 girls, down 1 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 6,760girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199020,750 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,693,973babies recorded
What does the name Elizabeth mean?
Elizabeth comes through Greek Elisabet from the Hebrew name Elisheba, usually explained as 'my God is an oath'. In the New Testament Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist. Medieval queens across Europe bore the name, and in English it has been popular since the 16th century. Isabel and Isabella grew out of a medieval Provençal form of the same name.
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Biblical Hebrew, “'my God is an oath' (ʾĕlîšeḇaʿ)”)Ἐλισάβετ (Ancient Greek, “Elisabet”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Nicknames for Elizabeth
The usual nicknames for Elizabeth are Ellie, Liz, Lizzie, Beth, Eliza, Libby, Betsy, Betty, Bess and Elsie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Elizabeth in the last five years, 87 were named Ellie, against 11 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellie · also for Elisa, Elouise, Eliora | Traditional | #24 | 30,119 |
| Liz · also for Lizbeth | Traditional | #1,259 | 854 |
| Lizzie · also for Eliza, Lizbeth | Traditional | #2,145 | 418 |
| Beth · also for Bethany, Lizbeth | Traditional | #3,405 | 221 |
| Eliza | Traditional | #115 | 11,878 |
| Libby · also for Liberty | Traditional | #1,146 | 1,102 |
| Betsy | Traditional | #2,724 | 367 |
| Betty | Traditional | #1,113 | 1,082 |
| Bess | Traditional | #15,307 | 11 |
| Elsie · originally a Scottish pet form | Traditional | #123 | 8,811 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Elizabeths go by each one.
Elizabeth popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5,216 since 1880, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #17 | 6,760 |
| 2020 | #16 | 7,308 |
| 2010 | #12 | 10,283 |
| 2000 | #9 | 15,117 |
| 1990 | #9 | 20,750 |
| 1980 | #9 | 19,529 |
| 1970 | #18 | 15,108 |
| 1960 | #18 | 18,859 |
| 1950 | #24 | 14,334 |
| 1940 | #20 | 9,955 |
| 1930 | #15 | 10,995 |
| 1920 | #8 | 15,908 |
| 1910 | #7 | 5,800 |
| 1900 | #6 | 4,096 |
| 1890 | #3 | 3,112 |
| 1880 | #4 | 1,939 |
How popular is Elizabeth, counting every spelling?
Elizabeth is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #23 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #17 for Elizabeth on its own. Together these spellings went to 7,050 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth | 6,760 | #17 | 34,585 |
| Elisabeth | 282 | #925 | 1,358 |
| Elyzabeth | 8 | #11,225 | 38 |
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 Elizabeth?
6,760 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Elizabeth (1.87 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Elizabeth born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 29. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Elizabeth.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Elizabeth?
About 1,130,400 people born in the US named Elizabeth are alive today, with a median age of 43; half are between 28 and 62. That makes Elizabeth 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.
Elizabeth by state
How common Elizabeth was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (3.1×), District of Columbia (2.7×), Vermont (2.5×), Montana (2.1×), Alaska (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, New York, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Elizabeth: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Elizabeth, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Elizabeth · Sibling names for Elizabeth
Questions about the name Elizabeth
What does Elizabeth mean?
Elizabeth means “'my God is an oath'” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Elizabeth?
Elizabeth was the 17th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 6,760 babies. Its best year was 1887, when it ranked 3rd; the most babies were born in 1990 (20,750). Over the last ten years it has moved down 4 places. More babies were named Elizabeth in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Elizabeth a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Elizabeth in the US.
Where is Elizabeth most popular?
In 2021–2025, Elizabeth was most common in Wyoming (13.37 per 1,000 girls), followed by District of Columbia and Vermont.