Lisa
A short form of Elizabeth that became independent, especially in Italian and German.
Popularity, 1880–2025
A shortening of Elizabeth with Mona Lisa glamour, and the defining girls' name of the early 1960s.
Lisa first shows up in the national records in 1886. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1954 to 1993. It has been the single most popular name for American girls in 8 different years, first in 1962 and most recently in 1969. Its biggest year was 1965, when 60,271 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 1 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 987 for girls. All told, 970,012 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Liza (17,655), Lissa (3,979), Lyssa (1,492), Lyza (835), Lysa (761) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Elizabeth
Explore Lisa interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 6 | No. 993 |
| 1890s | 12 | No. 1278 |
| 1900s | 21 | No. 1251 |
| 1910s | 119 | No. 1465 |
| 1920s | 179 | No. 1449 |
| 1930s | 440 | No. 775 |
| 1940s | 2,724 | No. 318 |
| 1950s | 95,824 | No. 10 |
| 1960s | 496,987 | No. 1 |
| 1970s | 228,690 | No. 2 |
| 1980s | 102,610 | No. 16 |
| 1990s | 27,433 | No. 64 |
| 2000s | 7,030 | No. 294 |
| 2010s | 3,536 | No. 702 |
| 2020s | 1,618 | No. 847 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.