Elysha
A feminine form of Elisha, meaning "God is salvation" in Hebrew.
Name Census estimates that about 696 living Americans carry the first name Elysha. It is a predominantly female name (95.7% of registrations). The average person named Elysha today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elysha births was 1989 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elysha. 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
696
~ 1 in 492,463 Americans
Peak year
1989
44 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2018 SSA rank
#12,714
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Elysha
Elysha leans heavily female at 95.7% of total registrations, but 31 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Elysha as a male name
- Ranked #12,714 in 2018
- 5 male births in 2018
- Peak: 2008 (8 births)
Elysha as a female name
- Ranked #15,933 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1989 (44 births)
Popularity
Elysha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elysha from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 231 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
Elysha 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 Elysha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elyshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Elysha, while Massachusetts, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elysha
The name Elysha has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is considered a variant of the Hebrew name Elisheva or Elisheva, which means "God is my oath" or "God is perfection."
The name Elysha is derived from the Hebrew root words "El," meaning "God," and "sheva," meaning "oath" or "seven." The name is closely related to the name Elijah, a prominent figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Elijah was a prophet revered for his unwavering faith and miraculous deeds.
In the Old Testament, the name Elysha appears as the name of a young man who became the successor of the prophet Elijah. He was anointed as a prophet and performed numerous miracles, including healing a leper and restoring the dead to life. This biblical reference has contributed to the name's enduring popularity among various religious communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elysha can be found in the Book of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, which dates back to around the 6th century BCE. The name Elysha also appears in ancient Hebrew inscriptions and manuscripts from the same period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Elysha. One of the most famous was Elysha ben Avuyah, a Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 2nd century CE and was renowned for his wisdom and teachings.
Another prominent individual was Elysha ben Ananiah, a Jewish scribe and scholar who lived in the 1st century CE and was known for his expertise in the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud.
In the medieval period, Elysha ibn Shuaib was a prominent Jewish physician and philosopher from the 10th century CE, renowned for his contributions to medicine and his treatises on various subjects.
During the Renaissance, Elysha ben Gershom was a Jewish mathematician and astronomer from the 15th century, who made significant contributions to the study of astronomy and the development of mathematical instruments.
In more recent times, Elysha Salomon was an Israeli writer and poet who lived in the 20th century and was celebrated for her literary works and her advocacy for human rights.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Elysha throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Elysha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elysha 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
Elysha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elysha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 696 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elysha 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 492,463 US residents.
Is Elysha a common name?
We classify Elysha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 722 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elysha most popular?
The single biggest year for Elysha was 1989, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elysha is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Elysha a female name?
Yes, 95.7% of people registered as Elysha 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.