girl's name
Eliza
ih-LY-zuh
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 96,657
the United States
#115
2025 births
Eliza is a girl's name that began as a short form of Elizabeth, and so means "God is my oath," from the Hebrew Elisheva. It became an independent name in the eighteenth century and is best known through Eliza Doolittle.
- Eliza is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2021, when 2,490 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,396 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Eliza over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,857 |
| 1890s | 2,723 |
| 1900s | 2,402 |
| 1910s | 3,343 |
| 1920s | 3,269 |
| 1930s | 1,857 |
| 1940s | 1,396 |
| 1950s | 1,067 |
| 1960s | 1,007 |
| 1970s | 1,725 |
| 1980s | 2,791 |
| 1990s | 4,750 |
| 2000s | 9,608 |
| 2010s | 17,731 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 14,245 |
What Eliza means
Eliza means God is my oath, inherited from Elizabeth. A separate Hebrew name, Aliza, means joyful, and some sources conflate the two, but Eliza's own line runs through Elizabeth.
Where Eliza comes from
Eliza is a clipped form of Elizabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva, meaning God is my oath. Elizabeth generated an extraordinary number of short forms — Beth, Betty, Bess, Libby, Lisa, Elsie, Eliza — and several became independent names. Eliza was established in its own right by the eighteenth century and had strong literary standing: Shaw's Pygmalion gave the world Eliza Doolittle in 1913, carried further by My Fair Lady. It is sometimes confused with the Hebrew Aliza, meaning joyful, which is a genuinely separate name. Eliza has returned strongly in recent decades.
How popular is Eliza?
In 2025, Eliza was given to 2,375 babies in the United States, ranking #115 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Eliza is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Eliza is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Éliza | Éliza is a rare spelling of Eliza, written with an acute accent and recorded about 65 times, mostly in France. | 65 |
Names that peaked alongside Eliza
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Eliza also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Eliza over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Eliza
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Eliza in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Eliza
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Eliza — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Eliza
What does the name Eliza mean?
Eliza means "God is my oath," inherited from Elizabeth.
Is Eliza short for Elizabeth?
It began that way, but has been an independent name since the eighteenth century.
Is Eliza the same as Aliza?
No. Aliza is a separate Hebrew name meaning joyful, though the two are often confused.
How popular is the name Eliza?
In 2025, Eliza was given to 2,375 babies in the United States, ranking #115 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Eliza a girl's or a boy's name?
Eliza is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Eliza?
Eliza has 3 syllables.
When was Eliza most popular?
Eliza peaked in 2021, when 2,490 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Eliza?
Eliza is usually shortened to Liza, Lize and Liz.
Is Eliza a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Eliza currently ranks #65 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.