girl's name
Lisa
LEE-zah
- Origin German
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 1,075,859
the United States
#991
2025 births
Lisa is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my oath," a short form of Elisabeth that became a name in its own right. It ranks 152nd in France and is falling from a peak in 1965.
- Lisa is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 1965, when 60,448 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 12,951 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lisa 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 | 6 |
| 1890s | 12 |
| 1900s | 21 |
| 1910s | 119 |
| 1920s | 179 |
| 1930s | 440 |
| 1940s | 2,724 |
| 1950s | 96,012 |
| 1960s | 498,279 |
| 1970s | 229,494 |
| 1980s | 103,036 |
| 1990s | 27,499 |
| 2000s | 7,037 |
| 2010s | 3,536 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,618 |
What Lisa means
Lisa 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 made a promise binding, so the two senses are one idea.
Where Lisa comes from
Lisa is a short form of Elisabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva, borne in Exodus by Aaron's wife and in Luke by the mother of John the Baptist. It exists across German, Italian, Scandinavian and English use and became an independent given name in the twentieth century rather than remaining a nickname. Its worldwide surge in the 1960s was extraordinary in scale — Lisa was the top American girls' name from 1962 to 1969 — and it fell almost as fast. Mona Lisa is not an instance of the name: mona is a contraction of madonna, my lady, and Lisa is Lisa del Giocondo, the merchant's wife generally identified as the sitter, which is why Italians call the painting La Gioconda instead.
Lisa in use
Lisa ranks 152nd in France with about 355 births in 2025 and is falling in our data from a peak in 1965. Our records carry it from 1886. It appears in every market we hold — 480th in Ireland, 666th in England and Wales, 991st in the United States — which is the signature of a name that was enormous everywhere at once and is now declining everywhere at once.
How popular is Lisa?
In 2025, Lisa was given to 256 babies in the United States, ranking #991 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Lisa 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.
Names that peaked alongside Lisa
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lisa also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lisa over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Lisa 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 Lisa
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lisa — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lisa
What does the name Lisa mean?
Lisa means "God is my oath," inherited from Elizabeth.
Is the Mona Lisa named after the name?
The sitter was Lisa del Giocondo, and mona is a contraction of madonna, my lady — so it means "my lady Lisa."
Is Lisa short for Elisabeth?
Originally yes. It has been an independent given name since the twentieth century.
How popular is Lisa?
152nd in France, and falling in every market we hold.
Is Lisa a girl's or a boy's name?
Lisa is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lisa?
Lisa has 2 syllables.
Is Lisa a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lisa currently ranks #152 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.