Elsa
A German and Scandinavian short form of Elisabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva, usually translated 'my God is an oath' or 'my God is abundance'.
Elsa in 2025
Elsa was given to 216 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,103rd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 15,349 babies born.
The history of Elsa
Elsa reached its highest point in 2014, when 1,140 babies were given the name, ranking 601st that year. Its best-ever ranking was 326th, in 1895.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 30,731 babies have been named Elsa. Half of them were born before 1976, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation X.
Elsa by decade
| Decade | Babies named Elsa | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 537 | 368 |
| 1890s | 1,209 | 326 |
| 1900s | 864 | 470 |
| 1910s | 1,578 | 654 |
| 1920s | 1,471 | 960 |
| 1930s | 1,289 | 982 |
| 1940s | 1,306 | 1,048 |
| 1950s | 2,514 | 923 |
| 1960s | 2,746 | 980 |
| 1970s | 2,561 | 1,037 |
| 1980s | 2,083 | 1,232 |
| 1990s | 2,197 | 1,440 |
| 2000s | 3,359 | 1,277 |
| 2010s | 5,449 | 601 |
| 2020s | 1,568 | 1,705 |
Where Elsa is heading
Elsa has fallen 67% over the past decade, from 658 babies in 2015 to 216 in 2025.
Names like Elsa
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Elsa.