Ellisa
A feminine variant of the name Alice, of Germanic origin, meaning "noble" or "exalted".
Name Census estimates that about 813 living Americans carry the first name Ellisa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ellisa today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ellisa births was 1997 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ellisa. 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.
People living today
813
~ 1 in 421,592 Americans
Peak year
1997
29 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2022 SSA rank
#9,230
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Ellisa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ellisa from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 206 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ellisa 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 Ellisa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ellisas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ellisa
The name Ellisa is a variant spelling of the name Elisa, which has its origins in the Hebrew name Elisheva. The name Elisheva is derived from the Hebrew elements "el" meaning "God" and "shava" meaning "oath" or "vow." Elisheva was a prominent figure in the Old Testament, being the wife of Aaron, the brother of Moses.
The name Ellisa likely emerged in medieval Europe as a variant spelling of Elisa, particularly in regions with strong French influence. The French spelling "Ellise" may have contributed to the emergence of the "Ellisa" form. It's worth noting that variant spellings were common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ellisa can be found in the 12th century, when it appears in medieval records from the region of Normandy, France. This suggests that the name may have been used by Norman families during this time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ellisa. One such figure was Ellisa de Courtenay (c. 1186-1268), a French noblewoman who served as the Empress of Constantinople from 1216 to 1219. Another was Ellisa de Lusignan (c. 1182-1264), a member of the House of Lusignan and the Queen of Cyprus from 1218 to 1253.
In the 16th century, Ellisa Mercoeur (c. 1530-1587) was a French noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of Renaissance artists and writers. A century later, Ellisa de Montpellier (c. 1652-1719) was a French botanist and one of the first women to make significant contributions to the field of plant taxonomy.
Moving into the 19th century, Ellisa Boulton (1819-1892) was an English artist and activist, known for her paintings and her advocacy for women's rights and social reform.
While the name Ellisa has roots in ancient Hebrew and medieval European history, it has remained a relatively uncommon name choice throughout most time periods. However, its connection to the biblical Elisheva and its variants have ensured its enduring presence as a given name across various cultures and eras.
People
Ellisa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ellisa 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
Ellisa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ellisa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 813 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ellisa 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 421,592 US residents.
Is Ellisa a common name?
We classify Ellisa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 868 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ellisa most popular?
The single biggest year for Ellisa was 1997, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ellisa is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ellisa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ellisa in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.