Ilisha
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 99 living Americans carry the first name Ilisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ilisha today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ilisha births was 1978 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ilisha. 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 Ilisha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
99
~ 1 in 3,462,165 Americans
Peak year
1978
8 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,237
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Ilisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ilisha from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 37 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ilisha 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 Ilisha 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 Ilisha
The name Ilisha has its roots in the Sanskrit language, originating in ancient India. It is believed to have derived from the word "Iḷā," which means "earth" or "soil." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with fertility, growth, and the natural world.
In Hindu mythology, Iḷā is mentioned as the daughter of the sage Vashishtha and the wife of the deity Budha. This association with important figures in the ancient texts lends a sense of reverence and significance to the name.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Ilisha can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit literature, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata. These texts, which date back to the 4th century BCE, contain references to characters bearing this name or variations of it.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Ilisha. One of the earliest recorded examples is Ilisha, a renowned Sanskrit grammarian and scholar who lived in the 7th century CE. His works on grammar and linguistics were highly influential during the classical period of Indian literature.
Another notable figure was Ilisha Nandi, a Bengali poet and writer who lived in the 16th century. She is celebrated for her contributions to the Vaishnava literary tradition and her devotional poetry dedicated to the Hindu deity Krishna.
In the realm of science, Ilisha Pathak was an Indian botanist and plant taxonomist who lived from 1890 to 1975. She made significant contributions to the study of Indian flora and helped establish the National Botanic Garden in Lucknow, India.
Moving to more modern times, Ilisha Kharegat was a renowned Marathi actress who graced the stage and screen in the mid-20th century. Born in 1923, she is remembered for her performances in numerous Marathi plays and films, leaving a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of Maharashtra.
Lastly, Ilisha Morar is a contemporary artist and sculptor from India. Born in 1972, her works explore themes of identity, culture, and the human experience, often incorporating traditional Indian motifs and materials into her creations.
These individuals, spanning different eras and fields, exemplify the diverse and rich legacy associated with the name Ilisha, which has its roots firmly planted in the ancient soil of the Indian subcontinent.
People
Ilisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ilisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ilisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ilisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 99 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ilisha 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 3,462,165 US residents.
Is Ilisha a common name?
We classify Ilisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 104 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ilisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Ilisha was 1978, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ilisha is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ilisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ilisha 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.