Unisex name · since 1880

Elisha

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 15,668 babies named Elisha, peaking in 2008. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#949 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#788 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
15,668
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade

Yes -- Elisha is the #788 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 15,668 recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Elisha recorded 15,668 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #788 nationally today, ahead of 94% of boys, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #949 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #788 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 15,668 born since 1880
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elisha ranks #949 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #788 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 15,668 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.

#949 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#788 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
15,668
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%94.3%
Elisha vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Elisha's 15,668 recorded births place it above 97.91% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

41 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

41 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Elisha compares

15,668 Top 7% higher than 93% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Elisha's all-time total is 42x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Elisha Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 15,668 369 358,536
Peak-year births 392 34 22,252

Elisha's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Elisha splits its recorded history at 1953: 79% of all births land in the more recent half, 21% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1908 (11 births) -- compare that against the 2008 peak of 392 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Elisha popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (2008)
392
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0100200300400500 188018991918193719561975199420132025 322

Elisha popularity over time - girls

14,366 total births recorded since 1914 (Elisha as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 14,366 births
0200400600800 191419571967197719871997200720172025 59

Elisha by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (3,461 births, 22% of the file).

2000s was Elisha's strongest decade.

3,461 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.

Elisha births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 3,461 births (22% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Elisha compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Elisha's total volume

Elisha vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 1.7%-145, 2%-65, 3.8%-142, 6.9%-96, 17.1%-144, 2.5%-146, 3.6%-105, 5.3%-114, 2.6%-146, 7%-64, 5.8%-146, 4.7%-137, 2.8%-132, 1.7%-40, 5.7%Elisha-146, 2.5%Elisha
Elisha vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Elisha by state

Where Elisha concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Elisha
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
1,089 7.0%
#2 Texas
968 6.2%
#3 New York
795 5.1%
#4 Florida
754 4.8%
#5 Georgia
738 4.7%
#6 North Carolina
612 3.9%
#7 Ohio
418 2.7%
#8 Alabama
391 2.5%
California share of Elisha's total US births 7.0%
Even split

1,089 of 15,668 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.

Elisha appears in 41 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Elisha? ▼
15,668 babies have been named Elisha since 1880. All-time, it sits at #949 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #788 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2008 with 392 births.
Where does Elisha sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elisha ranks #949 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #788 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Elisha most popular? ▼
Elisha was most popular in the 2000s decade with 3,461 total births. The single peak year was 2008.
Where is Elisha most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Elisha are California (1,089 births), Texas (968 births), New York (795 births).
Is Elisha a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Elisha is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 15,668 births, and as a girl's name it has 14,366 births.
How long has the name Elisha been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Elisha since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Elisha? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elijah, Eli, Elias, Elian, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Elisha's data

  • Elisha's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (3,461 total births) through the 2020s (1,731) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Elishas (1,089 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Elisha

Nearby Names Like Elisha

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elisha

Elijah Boy
#7 380,611 births
Eli Boy
#104 153,495 births
Elias Boy
#13 129,263 births
Elian Boy
#147 15,268 births
Eliseo Boy
#550 11,996 births

Compare Elisha side by side: Elisha vs Elijah Elisha vs Eli Elisha vs Elias

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Elisha

Remi #787
4,185 births · Peak 2021
Darius #789
54,006 births · Peak 1994
Jamison #786
20,796 births · Peak 2017
Barron #790
5,647 births · Peak 2025
Alonso #785
12,231 births · Peak 2010
Ray #791
204,701 births · Peak 1957
Skyler #784
41,841 births · Peak 2002
Fisher #792
6,581 births · Peak 2025

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Elisha: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Elisha draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.