Lisa

Lisa meaning

Lisa is a Christian girl's name of Hebrew origin (short form of Elisabeth).

Short form of Elisabeth: 'my God is (my) oath'

Also used to mean: God is my oath, pledged to God

Lisa began as a short form of Elisabeth and is now used across the world as a name in its own right. Elisabeth is the Greek Elisabet of the New Testament (Strong's G1665), from the Hebrew Elisheba, which Thayer's lexicon explains as "my God is my oath", that is, one who has bound herself to God. Elisabeth, mother of John the Baptist, is the Gospel bearer of the full name. In Kerala Lisa sits alongside other affectionate forms such as Lissy and Liza, and it is used in Christian families across India.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, G1665 (from H472) · entry Elisabet (Ἐλισάβετ) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Strong's G1665, Elisabet (Bible Hub) · Online Etymology Dictionary, Elsa

Popularity abroad

• #991 United States, girls 2025 (down 6 from 985 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #661 England and Wales, girls 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Lisa · Liza · Leesa

Related names

Also meaning god

More names of Hebrew origin

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