Lisiate
Of Samoan origin meaning "to shave" or "to cut hair".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Lisiate. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lisiate today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lisiate births was 1987 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lisiate. 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 Lisiate. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1987
5 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,388
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Lisiate: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lisiate from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lisiate 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 Lisiate 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 Lisiate
The given name Lisiate has its origins in the Polynesian languages spoken across the islands of the South Pacific, particularly in the region of Tonga. The name can be traced back to the early 18th century, derived from the Proto-Polynesian words "lisi" meaning "to spread out" and "ate" meaning "spirit" or "soul." This suggests the name may have held spiritual connotations in its earliest usage.
While there are no known ancient texts or religious scriptures that directly reference the name Lisiate, it is believed to have been in use among the indigenous populations of the Tongan archipelago for several centuries. The earliest recorded example of the name dates back to a genealogical record from the island of Lifuka in 1732, where a chief named Lisiate Tuʻivahako is mentioned.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the name Lisiate. One of the earliest was Lisiate Tupou, a Tongan prince and heir apparent to the throne, who lived from 1797 to 1829. Another notable figure was Lisiate Fusipala, a revered Tongan poet and songwriter from the late 19th century, whose works helped preserve the island's cultural traditions.
In the 20th century, Lisiate Fāinga'anuku was a prominent Tongan politician and diplomat who served as the country's first ambassador to the United Nations from 1971 to 1977. Another noteworthy figure was Lisiate Lavasii, a celebrated Tongan rugby player who represented his country in the 1987 and 1991 Rugby World Cups.
More recently, Lisiate Folau Siale was a renowned Tongan artist and painter, known for his vibrant depictions of island life and landscapes. He lived from 1945 to 2015 and was celebrated for his contributions to the preservation of Tongan cultural heritage through his art.
People
Lisiate + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lisiate 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
Lisiate: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lisiate?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lisiate 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Lisiate a common name?
We classify Lisiate as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lisiate most popular?
The single biggest year for Lisiate was 1987, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lisiate is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lisiate in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lisiate a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lisiate in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Lisiate still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lisiate in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lisiate can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Lisiate?
Want to know how many people have the name Lisiate? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.