Girl nameCurrently #17 in the USFalling
Elizabeth
ih-LIZ-uh-buth//ɪˈlɪzəbəθ//
4 syllablesPeak year: 19909 lettersStarts with E
Meaning & origin
God is my oath
Elizabeth comes from the Hebrew Elisheva, meaning 'God is my oath', and appears in the Bible as the mother of John the Baptist. Its long royal history in England, worn by two queens, has made it one of the most enduring and versatile names in the language, spinning off dozens of nicknames across every era.
Elizabeth's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Elizabeth |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 1,948 |
| 1881 | 1,852 |
| 1882 | 2,193 |
| 1883 | 2,268 |
| 1884 | 2,565 |
| 1885 | 2,591 |
| 1886 | 2,691 |
| 1887 | 2,695 |
| 1888 | 3,236 |
| 1889 | 3,074 |
| 1890 | 3,124 |
| 1891 | 3,065 |
| 1892 | 3,469 |
| 1893 | 3,372 |
| 1894 | 3,435 |
| 1895 | 3,620 |
| 1896 | 3,482 |
| 1897 | 3,454 |
| 1898 | 3,674 |
| 1899 | 3,300 |
| 1900 | 4,112 |
| 1901 | 3,225 |
| 1902 | 3,715 |
| 1903 | 3,735 |
| 1904 | 3,846 |
| 1905 | 4,134 |
| 1906 | 4,335 |
| 1907 | 4,637 |
| 1908 | 4,915 |
| 1909 | 5,189 |
| 1910 | 5,817 |
| 1911 | 6,316 |
| 1912 | 8,550 |
| 1913 | 9,529 |
| 1914 | 11,394 |
| 1915 | 14,130 |
| 1916 | 14,980 |
| 1917 | 15,162 |
| 1918 | 15,890 |
| 1919 | 15,306 |
| 1920 | 15,942 |
| 1921 | 15,835 |
| 1922 | 15,273 |
| 1923 | 15,501 |
| 1924 | 14,992 |
| 1925 | 13,973 |
| 1926 | 12,891 |
| 1927 | 12,579 |
| 1928 | 11,811 |
| 1929 | 11,309 |
| 1930 | 11,043 |
| 1931 | 10,340 |
| 1932 | 10,053 |
| 1933 | 9,054 |
| 1934 | 9,389 |
| 1935 | 9,116 |
| 1936 | 8,907 |
| 1937 | 9,435 |
| 1938 | 9,846 |
| 1939 | 9,759 |
| 1940 | 10,008 |
| 1941 | 10,317 |
| 1942 | 11,237 |
| 1943 | 11,681 |
| 1944 | 11,066 |
| 1945 | 10,368 |
| 1946 | 11,775 |
| 1947 | 13,472 |
| 1948 | 13,245 |
| 1949 | 13,740 |
| 1950 | 14,363 |
| 1951 | 15,149 |
| 1952 | 16,052 |
| 1953 | 16,130 |
| 1954 | 16,627 |
| 1955 | 16,739 |
| 1956 | 16,386 |
| 1957 | 17,526 |
| 1958 | 18,582 |
| 1959 | 18,470 |
| 1960 | 18,918 |
| 1961 | 18,921 |
| 1962 | 17,850 |
| 1963 | 17,649 |
| 1964 | 17,342 |
| 1965 | 16,379 |
| 1966 | 15,937 |
| 1967 | 16,168 |
| 1968 | 14,939 |
| 1969 | 15,357 |
| 1970 | 15,179 |
| 1971 | 13,669 |
| 1972 | 12,238 |
| 1973 | 12,410 |
| 1974 | 12,325 |
| 1975 | 12,525 |
| 1976 | 13,607 |
| 1977 | 16,494 |
| 1978 | 16,879 |
| 1979 | 18,157 |
| 1980 | 19,609 |
| 1981 | 20,259 |
| 1982 | 20,595 |
| 1983 | 19,944 |
| 1984 | 20,455 |
| 1985 | 20,650 |
| 1986 | 19,170 |
| 1987 | 18,713 |
| 1988 | 20,144 |
| 1989 | 20,438 |
| 1990 | 20,840 |
| 1991 | 20,461 |
| 1992 | 19,086 |
| 1993 | 17,614 |
| 1994 | 16,830 |
| 1995 | 16,236 |
| 1996 | 16,030 |
| 1997 | 15,458 |
| 1998 | 15,216 |
| 1999 | 15,372 |
| 2000 | 15,139 |
| 2001 | 14,804 |
| 2002 | 14,641 |
| 2003 | 14,153 |
| 2004 | 13,637 |
| 2005 | 12,766 |
| 2006 | 12,457 |
| 2007 | 13,088 |
| 2008 | 12,038 |
| 2009 | 11,068 |
| 2010 | 10,288 |
| 2011 | 10,125 |
| 2012 | 9,737 |
| 2013 | 9,486 |
| 2014 | 9,603 |
| 2015 | 9,772 |
| 2016 | 9,614 |
| 2017 | 9,008 |
| 2018 | 8,595 |
| 2019 | 7,931 |
| 2020 | 7,299 |
| 2021 | 7,266 |
| 2022 | 7,014 |
| 2023 | 6,608 |
| 2024 | 6,883 |
Elizabeth through the decades
- Elizabeth peaked in 1990, when 20,840 babies were named Elizabeth in the US.
- The 1980s were Elizabeth's strongest decade, averaging 19,998 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Elizabeth has fallen 28% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Elizabeth currently ranks #17 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
LizBethElizaBetsyEllie
Variants & spellings
ElisabethElisabetIsabel
Famous people named Elizabeth
- Elizabeth II — British monarch