Liesl
Diminutive form of the German name Elizabeth meaning "consecrated to God".
Name Census estimates that about 1,804 living Americans carry the first name Liesl. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Liesl today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Liesl births was 1966 (100 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Liesl. 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
1.8K
~ 1 in 189,997 Americans
Peak year
1966
100 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,701
Tracked since 1965
Popularity
Liesl: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Liesl from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 417 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Liesl remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Liesl 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 Liesl during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Liesls live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Liesl, while Oregon, Massachusetts, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Liesl
The given name Liesl originated as a German diminutive form of the name Elisabeth. The name Elisabeth itself is derived from the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "God is my oath." Liesl emerged as a pet form or nickname version of Elisabeth in the 18th century, particularly popular in Bavaria and Austria.
In the 16th century, the name Elisabeth appeared in various biblical translations and religious texts, contributing to its widespread use across Europe. One of the earliest recorded instances of the diminutive Liesl dates back to the late 18th century, when it was used in German-speaking regions.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Liesl. One of the earliest was Liesl Karlstadt (1492-1552), a German Protestant Reformer and close associate of Martin Luther. Another prominent figure was Liesl Frank (1900-1945), a German writer and diarist who documented her experiences during the Holocaust.
In the realm of literature, the name Liesl gained fame through the character Liesl von Trapp in the 1959 musical play and subsequent 1965 film adaptation of "The Sound of Music." This fictional character, based on the real-life eldest Von Trapp daughter, helped popularize the name in the 20th century.
Other notable individuals named Liesl include Liesl Gephart (1904-1978), an Austrian figure skater and Olympic medalist, and Liesl Ridlon (1907-1997), an American aviator and one of the first female commercial pilots in the United States.
While the name Liesl has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has gained recognition and usage beyond its original cultural boundaries, particularly in English-speaking countries, thanks to its association with beloved literary and cinematic works.
People
Liesl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Liesl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Liesl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Liesl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,804 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Liesl 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 189,997 US residents.
Is Liesl a common name?
We classify Liesl as "Rare". It ranks above 93.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,916 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Liesl most popular?
The single biggest year for Liesl was 1966, when 100 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Liesl is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Liesl a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Liesl 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.