girls' name ★ peaked 1965

Lisa

Meaning Diminutive of Elisabeth in several European languages Gender Girl Rank 2025 #991 Trend → Stable

Diminutive of Elisabeth in several European languages.

Rank 2025
#991
among girls · ↓6 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
256
named Lisa · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,278
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1965
60,448 babies
All-time total
970,012
#16 all-time among girls
First recorded
1886
in Social Security records

Lisa popularity over time

970,012 babies have been named Lisa since 1886, 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
1020304018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 6 – 6 1 – #1,048
1890s 12 – 12 1 +100% #1,336
1900s 21 – 21 2 +75% #1,319
1910s 119 – 119 12 +467% #1,500
1920s 179 – 179 18 +50% #1,467
1930s 440 – 440 44 +146% #780
1940s 2,724 – 2,724 272 +519% #318
1950s 95,824 188 96,012 9,601 +3425% #10
1960s 496,987 1,292 498,279 49,828 +419% #1
1970s 228,690 804 229,494 22,949 -54% #2
1980s 102,610 426 103,036 10,304 -55% #16
1990s 27,433 66 27,499 2,750 -73% #64
2000s 7,030 7 7,037 704 -74% #295
2010s 3,536 – 3,536 354 -50% #704
2020s (to 2025) 1,618 – 1,618 270 -24% #848

Where Lisa is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 256 0.16 outside top 500
2027 256 0.16 outside top 500
2028 256 0.16 outside top 500
2029 256 0.16 outside top 500
2030 256 0.16 outside top 500

Where Lisa is most popular

Girls named Lisa per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.169 per 1,000. Strongest in Indiana, Kentucky, and California.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Lisa 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Indiana 56 0.399 +135%
Kentucky 25 0.292 +72%
California 233 0.277 +64%
New York 102 0.258 +52%
Pennsylvania 56 0.237 +40%
Wisconsin 23 0.223 +32%
Utah 18 0.216 +28%
Florida 90 0.210 +24%
Massachusetts 21 0.174 ≈ national
Ohio 41 0.173 ≈ national
Texas 136 0.169 ≈ national
Michigan 30 0.165 ≈ national
Washington 23 0.159 -6%
Virginia 26 0.153 -10%
South Carolina 13 0.145 -15%
Oklahoma 10 0.136 -20%
Minnesota 14 0.130 -23%
Illinois 29 0.127 -25%
Arizona 17 0.121 -29%
Georgia 27 0.119 -30%
North Carolina 27 0.119 -30%
Tennessee 17 0.107 -37%
New Jersey 19 0.105 -38%
Colorado 10 0.090 -47%
Iowa 5 0.086 -50%
Missouri 8 0.066 -61%
Maryland 5 0.047 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
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 Lisa

Lisa is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #991 in 2025 with 256 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1886, 970,012 American babies have been named Lisa. Its peak came in 1965, when 60,448 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Lisa stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lisa?

The median living Lisa is about 58 years old; half are between 51 and 62. An estimated 895 thousand people named Lisa are alive in the United States today.

median 58 020406080100

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

Lisa 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 256 #991 – –
2024 264 #985 – –
2023 317 #848 – –
2022 290 #932 – –
2021 248 #1,026 – –
2020 243 #1,037 – –
2019 277 #955 – –
2018 308 #878 – –
2017 309 #882 – –
2016 346 #829 – –
2015 374 #755 – –
2014 378 #740 – –
2013 354 #771 – –
2012 398 #707 – –
2011 396 #704 – –
2010 396 #713 – –
2009 420 #693 – –
2008 510 #603 – –
2007 525 #573 – –
2006 609 #500 – –
2005 619 #494 – –
2004 710 #427 – –
2003 811 #372 – –
2002 830 #360 – –
2001 908 #337 – –
2000 1,088 #295 7 #8,759
1995 2,236 #144 – –
1990 5,347 #64 14 #4,106
1985 9,012 #36 33 #1,821
1980 15,664 #16 61 #1,170
1975 18,139 #8 69 #989
1970 38,967 #2 137 #711
1965 60,271 #1 177 #576
1960 33,693 #6 86 #823
1955 8,539 #48 20 #1,763
1950 1,175 #220 – –
1945 250 #451 – –
1940 89 #737 – –
1935 31 #1,323 – –
1930 32 #1,360 – –
1925 13 #2,707 – –
1920 17 #2,220 – –
1915 14 #2,197 – –
1910 9 #1,705 – –
1905 5 #2,100 – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Lisa

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

  1. 1 Lisa Marie Presley Lisa Marie Presley American singer-songwriter (1968–2023) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lisa Bonet American actress (born 1967) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lisa Kudrow Lisa Kudrow American actress (born 1963) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lisa Rinna Lisa Rinna American actress and television personality (born 1963) Contemporary
  5. 5 Lisa Lopes Lisa Lopes American rapper (1971–2002) Contemporary
  6. 6 Lisa Ann Walter Lisa Ann Walter American actress (born 1963) Contemporary
  7. 7 Lisa Niemi Lisa Niemi American actress b. 1956 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Lisa Ann Lisa Ann American pornographic film actress (born 1972) Contemporary
  9. 9 Lisa Edelstein Lisa Edelstein American actress (born 1966) Contemporary
  10. 10 Lisa Robin Kelly Lisa Robin Kelly American actress (1970–2013) Contemporary
  11. 11 Lisa Marie Lisa Marie American actress and model (born 1968) Contemporary
  12. 12 Lisa Murkowski Lisa Murkowski American attorney and politician (born 1957) Contemporary
  13. 13 Lisa del Giocondo Lisa del Giocondo Italian noblewoman (1479–1542) Medieval
  14. 14 Lisa Stansfield Lisa Stansfield British singer (born 1966) Contemporary
  15. 15 Lisa Nowak Lisa Nowak American astronaut (born 1963) Contemporary
  16. 16 Lisa Eilbacher American actress (born 1956) Contemporary
  17. 17 Lisa Zane American actress (born 1961) Contemporary
  18. 18 Lisa Blount Lisa Blount American actress (1957–2010) Contemporary
  19. 19 Lisa Lu Lisa Lu Chinese actress (born 1927) Contemporary
  20. 20 Lisa Fischer Lisa Fischer American vocalist and songwriter (born 1958) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lisa?

The median living Lisa is about 58 years old. Half of all living Lisas are between 51 and 62 years old.

How many people named Lisa are alive today?

An estimated 895 thousand people named Lisa are alive in the United States, based on 970,012 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lisa mean?

Diminutive of Elisabeth in several European languages.

How popular is the name Lisa in 2025?

Lisa ranked #991 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 256 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lisa?

970,012 babies have been named Lisa in the United States since 1886, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lisa most popular?

Lisa peaked in 1965, when 60,448 newborns received the name.

Is Lisa a boy or girl name?

Lisa is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lisa rising or falling?

Lisa is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lisa become more popular?

Lisa looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 256 girls named Lisa in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lisa?

Well-known people named Lisa include Lisa Marie Presley (singer), Lisa Bonet (actor), Lisa Kudrow (actor).

Names like Lisa

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

Compare Lisa with similar names → More names starting with L →