Unisex name ★ peaked 1980

Elisha

Meaning Borrowed from Biblical Hebrew אֱלִישָׁע (ʾĔlîšāʿ) Gender Unisex · 48% girls Rank 2025 #789 Trend → Stable

Borrowed from Biblical Hebrew אֱלִישָׁע (ʾĔlîšāʿ).

Rank 2025
#789
among boys · ↑57 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
381
named Elisha
How common
1 in 5,305
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1980
736 babies
All-time total
30,034
#949 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Elisha popularity over time

30,034 babies have been named Elisha since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 336 336 34 – #255
1890s – 256 256 26 -24% #318
1900s – 216 216 22 -16% #362
1910s 5 549 554 55 +156% #571
1920s – 780 780 78 +41% #648
1930s – 538 538 54 -31% #755
1940s 31 472 503 50 -7% #842
1950s 82 401 483 48 -4% #993
1960s 600 262 862 86 +78% #1,349
1970s 2,742 601 3,343 334 +288% #909
1980s 4,841 994 5,835 584 +75% #815
1990s 2,500 1,920 4,420 442 -24% #631
2000s 1,708 3,461 5,169 517 +17% #599
2010s 1,375 3,151 4,526 453 -12% #659
2020s (to 2025) 482 1,731 2,213 369 -19% #789

Where Elisha is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 327 0.19 outside top 500
2027 332 0.19 outside top 500
2028 336 0.20 outside top 500
2029 339 0.20 outside top 500
2030 342 0.20 outside top 500

Where Elisha is most popular

Boys named Elisha per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.169 per 1,000. Strongest in Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Elisha born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Missouri 45 0.325 +92%
Tennessee 51 0.283 +67%
Kentucky 28 0.279 +65%
Minnesota 34 0.277 +64%
Indiana 44 0.274 +62%
Alabama 29 0.265 +57%
South Carolina 27 0.261 +55%
Washington 40 0.244 +45%
Virginia 45 0.237 +40%
Georgia 56 0.221 +31%
Florida 104 0.220 +30%
Ohio 58 0.219 +29%
New York 94 0.217 +28%
Michigan 43 0.210 +24%
Maryland 25 0.210 +24%
North Carolina 53 0.208 +23%
New Jersey 40 0.199 +18%
Oregon 15 0.198 +17%
Pennsylvania 50 0.188 +11%
Oklahoma 16 0.181 +7%
Texas 133 0.151 -11%
Colorado 18 0.139 -17%
California 106 0.116 -31%
Kansas 7 0.102 -40%
Illinois 24 0.094 -44%
Massachusetts 12 0.087 -48%
Connecticut 5 0.074 -56%
Arizona 12 0.073 -57%
Iowa 5 0.073 -57%
Louisiana 6 0.059 -65%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -75%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Elisha

Elisha is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #789 in 2025 with 322 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 30,034 American babies have been named Elisha, about 52% boys and 48% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1980, when 736 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Elisha stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Elisha?

The median living Elisha is about 29 years old; half are between 15 and 43. An estimated 26 thousand people named Elisha are alive in the United States today.

median 29 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Elisha year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 59 #2,867 322 #789
2024 95 #2,045 287 #846
2023 77 #2,361 283 #853
2022 82 #2,280 302 #822
2021 81 #2,272 266 #869
2020 88 #2,086 271 #843
2019 118 #1,751 319 #749
2018 161 #1,397 270 #829
2017 138 #1,583 286 #799
2016 123 #1,722 304 #783
2015 120 #1,745 305 #776
2014 138 #1,571 327 #733
2013 160 #1,422 348 #689
2012 140 #1,560 317 #733
2011 139 #1,574 311 #731
2010 138 #1,585 364 #659
2009 147 #1,540 342 #703
2008 147 #1,563 392 #630
2007 188 #1,300 365 #656
2006 167 #1,371 376 #627
2005 159 #1,362 377 #600
2004 201 #1,136 359 #599
2003 169 #1,245 337 #616
2002 166 #1,215 336 #602
2001 174 #1,179 300 #632
2000 190 #1,088 277 #653
1995 221 #870 204 #751
1990 348 #647 118 #961
1985 481 #452 101 #901
1980 624 #373 112 #832
1975 230 #662 69 #986
1970 127 #986 39 #1,339
1965 72 #1,265 30 #1,414
1960 49 #1,603 29 #1,493
1955 – – 44 #1,118
1950 – – 49 #993
1945 – – 46 #956
1940 6 #3,993 56 #842
1935 – – 53 #862
1930 – – 71 #755
1925 – – 74 #769
1920 – – 71 #795
1915 – – 58 #795
1910 – – 25 #571
1905 – – 16 #599
1900 – – 37 #362
1895 – – 33 #321
1890 – – 24 #359
1885 – – 38 #268
1880 – – 32 #293

Famous people named Elisha

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Elisha Cuthbert Elisha Cuthbert Canadian actress (born 1982) Contemporary
  2. 2 Elisha Cook Jr. Elisha Cook Jr. American actor (1903–1995) Contemporary
  3. 3 Elisha Elisha Prophet and wonder-worker in the Hebrew Bible -900–-790 · Antiquity
  4. 4 Elisha Otis Elisha Otis 19th-century American industrialist and inventor of the Otis Elevator 1811–1861 · 19th century
  5. 5 Elisha Gray Elisha Gray American electrical engineer (1835–1901) 19th century
  6. 6 Elisha Kent Kane Elisha Kent Kane American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Elisha, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Elisha?

The median living Elisha is about 29 years old. Half of all living Elishas are between 15 and 43 years old.

How many people named Elisha are alive today?

An estimated 26 thousand people named Elisha are alive in the United States, based on 30,034 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Elisha mean?

Borrowed from Biblical Hebrew אֱלִישָׁע (ʾĔlîšāʿ).

How popular is the name Elisha in 2025?

Elisha ranked #789 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 322 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Elisha?

30,034 babies have been named Elisha in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Elisha most popular?

Elisha peaked in 1980, when 736 newborns received the name.

Is Elisha a boy or girl name?

Elisha is used for both: about 48% of babies named Elisha have been girls and 52% boys.

Is the name Elisha rising or falling?

Elisha has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Elisha become more popular?

Elisha looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 342 boys named Elisha in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Elisha?

Well-known people named Elisha include Elisha Cuthbert (actor), Elisha Cook Jr. (actor), Elisha (religious figure).

Names like Elisha

Names that sound and feel close to Elisha: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Elisha with similar names → More names starting with E →