Namewise

Lisa

femaleHebrew, short form of Elizabeth

A short form of Elizabeth, often used independently — notably the name of the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

Origin: Hebrew, short form of Elizabeth

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1945 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #1 in New Zealand in 1971. See regions.

Lisa: Recorded since 1945, it reached #1 in 1968, and it stood at #174 in 2025.

LEE-suh/ˈliː.sə/

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)
Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin
Hebrew, short form of Elizabeth
Meaning
A short form of Elizabeth, often used independently — notably the name of the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
Pronunciation
LEE-suh
Syllables
2
Common nicknames
None recorded
Classification
Traditional & modern
Gender usage
female
Language family
Hebrew, short form of Elizabeth

Popularity

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

England and Wales · Girls rank from 1996 to 2025, ranging from #105 to #1083.199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025#105#1083
View as table
England and Wales · Girls rank by year
YearRank
1996#105
1997#143
1998#167
1999#170
2000#191
2001#238
2002#248
2003#262
2004#288
2005#286
2006#388
2007#346
2008#462
2009#417
2010#505
2011#541
2012#624
2013#712
2014#668
2015#745
2016#735
2017#764
2018#1083
2019#881
2020#872
2021#755
2022#910
2023#734
2024#795
2025#661

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Norway in 80 of the 81 years from 1945 to 2025.

In 2025: #174 among girls in Norway, #443 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #661 among girls in England and Wales.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 19452025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #330 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Girls

  2. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #661 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Girls

See full popularity history and data table

Meaning & Origin

A short form of Elizabeth, often used independently — notably the name of the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Hebrew, short form of Elizabeth

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Lisa is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Lisa, between 1945 and 2025, in 80 of those 81 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

RegistrarRecordedYearsIts own highest position
Norway1945–202580#37 in 1994
New South Wales, Australia1959–199739#2 in 1968
New Zealand1962–199736#1 in 1968
Republic of Ireland1964–202562#3 in 1984
England and Wales1996–202530#105 in 1996
Northern Ireland1997–201917#63 in 1997
Scotland20241#790 in 2024

Its high point came 56 years earlier in New South Wales, Australia (1968) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

LEE-suh/ˈliː.sə/
Syllables
2
Ease
easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Lisa Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Lisa in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Entirely local — nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.