girl's name
Elsa
EL-sah
- Origin German
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 86,393
France
#136
2025 births
Elsa is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my oath," a German short form of Elisabeth. It ranks 136th in France and is falling from a peak our records place in 1988.
- Elsa is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in France in 1988, when 1,500 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,512 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Elsa over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 280 |
| 1910s | 290 |
| 1920s | 380 |
| 1930s | 345 |
| 1940s | 185 |
| 1950s | 165 |
| 1960s | 610 |
| 1970s | 3,445 |
| 1980s | 8,350 |
| 1990s | 7,730 |
| 2000s | 12,650 |
| 2010s | 11,865 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,900 |
What Elsa means
Elsa means God is my oath, inherited from Elizabeth. The Hebrew Elisheva joins El, God, with a root carrying both oath and seven, the number that sealed a promise in Hebrew custom.
Where Elsa comes from
Elsa is a German and Scandinavian short form of Elisabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva. Its nineteenth-century weight comes from Wagner's Lohengrin, first performed in 1850, where Elsa of Brabant is forbidden to ask her rescuer's name and cannot help herself. In the twentieth century the name attached to two very different things: Elsa the lioness of Born Free, raised and released in Kenya by Joy Adamson, whose 1960 book and 1966 film were enormously popular; and Elsa Schiaparelli, the couturier who invented shocking pink. Disney's Frozen in 2013 then lifted the name sharply in the English-speaking world while French use was already falling, which makes the two markets a study in how differently one film lands.
Elsa in use
Elsa ranks 136th in France with about 390 births in 2025 and is falling in our data from a peak in 1988 — well before Frozen, and the film has not reversed it there. Our records carry it from 1900. It appears in every market we hold, at 695th in England and Wales, 621st in Scotland, 699th in Ireland and 1,106th in the United States.
How popular is Elsa?
In 2025, Elsa was given to 390 babies in France, ranking #136 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Elsa is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Elsa
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Elsa also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Elsa over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Elsa 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 Elsa
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Elsa — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Elsa
What does the name Elsa mean?
Elsa means "God is my oath," inherited from Elizabeth.
Is Elsa short for Elisabeth?
Yes, in German and Scandinavian use. It has long been registered as a full name.
Did Frozen make Elsa popular?
In the English-speaking markets, yes. In France the name was already falling and has continued to.
How popular is Elsa?
136th in France and 695th in England and Wales.
Is Elsa a girl's or a boy's name?
Elsa is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Elsa?
Elsa has 2 syllables.
Is Elsa a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Elsa currently ranks #136 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.