Elysa
A feminine name derived from the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "God is my oath".
Name Census estimates that about 1,420 living Americans carry the first name Elysa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Elysa today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elysa births was 2004 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elysa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Elysa with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 241,376 Americans
Peak year
2004
50 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,355
Tracked since 1950
Census
Elysa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,366 people with the first name Elysa, which placed it at #9,941 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#9,941
National first-name rank
People counted
1.4K
1,366 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
57.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elysa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Elysa is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.6%) and Black (6.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Elysa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Elysa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.8% · 789
- Hispanic or Latino26.6% · 363
- Black or African American6.7% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 60
- Two or more races4.2% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Popularity
Elysa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elysa from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 376 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elysa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Elysa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elysas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Elysa, while Michigan, Arizona, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elysa
The name Elysa has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture, originating from the biblical name Elisheba, meaning "God is my oath." This name can be traced back to the Old Testament of the Bible, where it was borne by the wife of Aaron, the brother of Moses.
Historically, the name Elysa gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe. It was a common name among Christians, who often bestowed biblical names upon their children. The spelling of the name has evolved over time, with variations such as Elisa, Eliza, and Elysa emerging in different regions and cultures.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Elysa can be found in the writings of the 12th-century English historian and philosopher, William of Malmesbury. He mentioned a noblewoman named Elysa, who was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry I of England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Elysa. In the 16th century, Elysa Doriana was an Italian painter and engraver known for her religious works and portraits. She lived from 1555 to 1611 and gained recognition for her artistic talent during the Renaissance period.
In the 18th century, Elysa Bevan was a British Quaker writer and philanthropist. Born in 1742, she dedicated her life to promoting education and social reform, establishing several schools and charitable organizations.
During the 19th century, Elysa Mendelssohn was a German composer and pianist, born in 1823. She was part of the renowned Mendelssohn family and contributed significantly to the classical music scene of her time.
In the field of literature, Elysa Freilich was a 20th-century American author and poet. Born in 1918, she published several collections of poetry and novels, exploring themes of identity, love, and the human experience.
Elysa Bazna was a prominent French actress and singer born in 1925. She graced the stage and silver screen with her performances, captivating audiences with her talent and charisma.
While these are just a few examples, the name Elysa has been borne by many remarkable individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human civilization.
People
Elysa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elysa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Elysa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elysa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,420 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elysa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 241,376 US residents.
Is Elysa a common name?
We classify Elysa as "Rare". It ranks above 92.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,509 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elysa most popular?
The single biggest year for Elysa was 2004, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elysa is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Elysa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,366 people with the name Elysa, or 0.45 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,941 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Elysa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Elysa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Elysa appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,368 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Elysa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Elysa is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.6%) and Black (6.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Elysa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Elysa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.8% (789 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Elysa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elysa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elysa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Elysa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elysa in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Elysa can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Elysa as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.