Ellisha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of "Elizabeth" and "Lisa".
Name Census estimates that about 288 living Americans carry the first name Ellisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ellisha today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ellisha births was 1991 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ellisha. 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
288
~ 1 in 1,190,119 Americans
Peak year
1991
16 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2016 SSA rank
#16,998
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Ellisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ellisha from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 98 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
Ellisha 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 Ellisha 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 Ellisha
The name Ellisha is of Hebrew origin and can be traced back to the biblical period. It is a variation of the name Elisha, which means "God is salvation" or "God is my salvation." The name is derived from the Hebrew words "El," meaning God, and "Yasha," meaning to save or deliver.
In the Old Testament, Elisha was a prominent prophet who succeeded Elijah as the spiritual leader of Israel. He lived during the 9th century BCE and performed numerous miracles, including healing a leper and raising a child from the dead. The name Ellisha emerged as a variant spelling, likely influenced by other languages and cultures over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ellisha can be found in the Book of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, where it refers to the prophet Elisha. Throughout history, the name has been used by various individuals, including:
1. Ellisha Otis (1811-1861), an American inventor best known for inventing a safety device for elevators, revolutionizing the design and construction of skyscrapers.
2. Ellisha Kent Kane (1820-1857), an American explorer and writer who led two expeditions to the Arctic region in search of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition.
3. Ellisha Graves Otis (1793-1861), an American businessman and the founder of the Otis Elevator Company, which played a crucial role in the development of safe and efficient vertical transportation systems.
4. Ellisha Usher (1772-1843), an American merchant and banker who served as the President of the Branch Bank of the United States in Philadelphia.
5. Ellisha Whittlesey (1783-1863), an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the first Comptroller of the United States Treasury from 1828 to 1835.
These individuals, spanning various fields and time periods, have contributed to the historical record and cultural significance of the name Ellisha.
People
Ellisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ellisha 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
Ellisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ellisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 288 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ellisha 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 1,190,119 US residents.
Is Ellisha a common name?
We classify Ellisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 303 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ellisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Ellisha was 1991, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ellisha is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ellisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ellisha 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.