Elishama
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has listened" or "God hears".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Elishama. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Elishama today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elishama births was 2023 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elishama. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elishama. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2023
6 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,221
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Elishama: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elishama from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elishama by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Elishama during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elishama
The name Elishama has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is a combination of the Hebrew words "El" meaning "God" and "shama" meaning "to hear." The name essentially translates to "God hears" or "God has heard."
In the Old Testament of the Bible, Elishama is mentioned as the name of several individuals. One Elishama was the son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Ephraim, and he was appointed as a leader during the time of Moses (Numbers 1:10). Another Elishama was a scribe during the reign of King Jehoiakim in the 7th century BCE (Jeremiah 36:12).
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Elishama can be found in the Book of Samuel, where it is mentioned as the name of a son of King David (1 Chronicles 3:8). This would place the name's use around the 10th century BCE during the biblical era.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Elishama. One such individual was Elishama ben Avuya, a prominent Jewish scholar who lived in the 2nd century CE and was known for his expertise in the Mishnah, the foundational text of the Jewish oral tradition.
Another Elishama of note was Elishama ben Gershom, a 14th-century rabbi and scholar from the city of Avignon in modern-day France. He was renowned for his commentary on the Talmud and his works on Jewish law.
In the 16th century, there was Elishama ben Gershon Abulafia, a Jewish poet and philosopher from Spain who wrote extensively on Kabbalah, the mystical branch of Judaism.
Moving forward, Elishama Whitcomb (1681-1752) was an American clergyman and educator who served as the pastor of the First Congregational Church in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and was also involved in establishing several schools in the region.
Lastly, Elishama Townsend (1809-1885) was a 19th-century American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Elishama, which has its roots in the ancient Hebrew language and culture and has been used across various regions and time periods.
People
Elishama + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elishama as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Elishama: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elishama?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elishama going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Elishama a common name?
We classify Elishama as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elishama most popular?
The single biggest year for Elishama was 2023, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elishama is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Elishama in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elishama a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elishama in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Elishama still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elishama in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Elishama can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Elishama as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.