Total births
967,229
Girls' name · since 1886
Lisa
967,229 babies named Lisa in U.S. Social Security records since 1886, with the highest year being 1965. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #984
- among girls today
- 967,229
- born since 1886
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
967,229 babies have been named Lisa since 1886, making it today's #984 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Lisa recorded 967,229 times among girls since 1886, holding rank #984 nationally today, ahead of 94% of girls, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1886 to 2025.
- #984 among girls today
- 967,229 born since 1886
- 1960s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Lisa is currently the #984 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 967,229 born since 1886, peaking in the 1960s.
- #984
- among girls today
- 967,229
- born since 1886
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Lisa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#984
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
51% of everyone ever named Lisa was born in this single decade.
1965
Single peak year
60,271 babies were named Lisa in 1965 - its busiest year on record.
How Lisa compares
967,229 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Lisa's all-time total is 2,532x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lisa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 967,229 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 60,271 | 48 | 19,840 |
Lisa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Lisa splits its recorded history at 1965: 66% of all births land in the more recent half, 34% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1896 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1965 peak of 60,271 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Lisa at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1965
Current rank
#984
Active since
1886
Lisa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1886–2025
- Peak year (1965)
- 60,271
- Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
Lisa popularity over time - boys
2,783 total births recorded since 1952 (Lisa as boys' name)
Lisa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Lisa's strongest decade.
496,987 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 51% of all-time use.
Lisa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6
1880s
6 births
- 1890s 12
1890s
12 births
- 1900s 21
1900s
21 births
- 1910s 119
1910s
119 births
- 1920s 179
1920s
179 births
- 1930s 440
1930s
440 births
- 1940s 2,724
1940s
2,724 births
- 1950s 95,824
1950s
95,824 births
- 1960s
1960s
496,987 births
- 1970s
1970s
228,690 births
- 1980s 102,610
1980s
102,610 births
- 1990s 27,433
1990s
27,433 births
- 2000s 7,030
2000s
7,030 births
- 2010s 3,536
2010s
3,536 births
- 2020s 1,618
2020s
1,618 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 496,987 births (51% of all-time use).
How Lisa compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Lisa's total volume
Lisa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Lisa by state
Where Lisa concentrates geographically, total births since 1886
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 94,846 | 9.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 87,365 | 9.0% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 59,556 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 54,494 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 50,007 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Texas | | 49,557 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 44,630 | 4.6% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 33,646 | 3.5% |
California share of Lisa's total US births 9.8%
Even split
94,846 of 967,229 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Lisa appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lisa? ▼
Since 1886, Social Security records show 967,229 babies named Lisa. Today it holds rank #984 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1965, with 60,271 births.
When was Lisa most popular? ▼
Lisa was most popular in the 1960s decade with 496,987 total births. The single peak year was 1965.
Where is Lisa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Lisa are California (94,846 births), New York (87,365 births), Pennsylvania (59,556 births).
How long has the name Lisa been used? ▼
Records for Lisa go back to 1886, giving 140 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Lisa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lisette, Lissette, Lisbeth, Lissa, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Lisa's data
- Lisa's decade-level peak was the 1960s (496,987 total births); usage has since declined to 1,618 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Lisas (94,846 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lisa
Nearby Names Like Lisa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lisa
Lisette Girl
#4570 9,581 births
Lissette Girl
#8057 7,496 births
Lisbeth Girl
#3903 5,934 births
Lissa Girl
#7648 3,979 births
Lise Girl
#15489 2,791 births
Compare Lisa side by side: Lisa vs Lisette Lisa vs Lissette Lisa vs Lisbeth
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lisa
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1886–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Lisa: #984 Girls' Name - 967,229 Births, Peak 1965." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lisa. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Lisa 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 June 2026.