Elisha

Meaning: God is my salvation
Origin: Hebrew — Borne by the biblical prophet who succeeded Elijah

Origin: English — Female variant of Alicia

Boy's name · #789 in the US (2025) · Comeback

79% boys · 21% girls — Elisha is also given to girls: 59 in 2025, about 21% in recent years. Elisha →

Popularity over time

Elisha was #255 in 1883, slipped to #2175 by 1967, and has climbed back to #789 today. About 16,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Elisha is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 26 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Elisha ranks in other countries and regions.

#1,243 in England & Wales (2025) · #2,125 in Switzerland (2025) · #1,351 in Canada (2024).

Famous Elishas

Elisha Otis — Founder of Otis Elevator Co
Elisha Gray — American electrical engineer
Elisha Owusu — Ghanaian and French association football player
Elisha Cook Jr. — American actor (1903–1995)
Elisha Kent Kane — American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857)

In stories & tradition

Elisha — First Book of Kings (Bible)
Elisha J. Whitney — Anything Goes (musical stage work)

What Elishas become

Among 261 notable people named Elisha:

Lawyers & judges appear 3.03× more often than among typical names — e.g. Elisha Franklin Paxton, Confederate Army general American lawyer.

Similar names: Eleazar · Asa · Ellison · Khaza · Enoch · Eliezer

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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