Girl · #909 in 2026

Lisa

Lisa is a feminine given name. In the United Kingdom, the name Lisa began to gain popularity during the 1960s, by 1974 it was the fifth most popular female name there, and a decade later it was the 14th most popular female name there. However, by 1996 it had fallen out of the top 100. Similarly, in the United States it was the most popular female name for most of the 1960s and in the top 10 through most of the 1970s before falling.

  • English
  • German
  • Dutch
  • Swedish
Current Rank
#909
Peak Rank
#1 (1965)
Total Babies
968K
5-Yr Trend
+5%
1886
First Year
2026
Last Year
1965
Peak Year
#1
Peak Rank
968K
Total Count
123
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Lisa

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Lisa is a feminine given name. In the United Kingdom, the name Lisa began to gain popularity during the 1960s, by 1974 it was the fifth most popular female name there, and a decade later it was the 14th most popular female name there. However, by 1996 it had fallen out of the top 100. Similarly, in the United States it was the most popular female name for most of the 1960s and in the top 10 through most of the 1970s before falling.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English
  • German
  • Dutch
  • Swedish
  • Norwegian
  • Danish
  • Italian

The Story of Lisa

Lisa first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1886, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1965, when 60,269 Lisas were born — ranking #1 that year. As of 2026, Lisa ranks #909 for baby girls with 293 births, holding steady (+5%). In total, more than 968K Lisas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Lisa

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Lisa. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Where is Lisa most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • China
    56%
  • United States
    15%
  • TW
    12%
  • Malaysia
    11%
  • Indonesia
    7%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Lisa

Phonetically similar names — useful when Lisa is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lisa

What does the name Lisa mean?
Lisa is a feminine given name. In the United Kingdom, the name Lisa began to gain popularity during the 1960s, by 1974 it was the fifth most popular female name there, and a decade later it was the 14th most popular female name there. However, by 1996 it had fallen out of the top 100. Similarly, in the United States it was the most popular female name for most of the 1960s and in the top 10 through most of the 1970s before falling.
What is the origin of the name Lisa?
Lisa has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian.
How popular is Lisa in 2026?
In 2026, Lisa ranks #909 among girls' names in the U.S., with 293 babies given the name that year.
When was Lisa most popular?
Lisa reached its peak popularity in 1965, ranking #1 that year with 60,269 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Lisa most popular?
Lisa has historically been most popular in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Lisa.
Is Lisa a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Lisa is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Lisa?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Lisa include Mary, Emma, Emily. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Lisa?
Common variants and related forms of Lisa include Bess, Bessie, Beth, Betina, Betje, Betsy. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

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About the name Lisa

Lisa is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1886 and has accumulated 968K births in the dataset. Lisa's peak popularity came in 1965 when it ranked #1. Use the chart and map above to compare Lisa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.