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Elizabeth (given name)

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Elizabeth
Detail of Saint Elizabeth in a painting on an altar by Lucas Cranach the Elder
Pronunciation/ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/
GenderFemale
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Hebrew
DerivationElisheva
MeaningMy God is an oath
Other names
Alternative spellingElisabeth
Related names

Elizabeth is a feminine given name, a variation of the Hebrew name Elisheva (אֱלִישֶׁבַע), meaning "My God is an oath" or "My God is abundance",[citation needed] as rendered in the Septuagint.[citation needed]

Occurrence in the Bible

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"Elizabeth" appears in the Hebrew Bible as the name of Aaron's wife ("Elisheva" in the Hebrew Bible), and in the New Testament as the name of the wife of the priest Zechariah and mother of John the Baptist. It has also been the name of several saints and queens.

Statistics

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The name has many variants in use across the world and has been in consistent use worldwide. Elizabeth was the tenth most popular name given to baby girls in the United States in 2007 and has been among the 25 most popular names given to girls in the United States for the past 100 years. It is the only name that remained in the top ten US girls' names list from 1925 to 1972.[1]

In the early 21st century, Elizabeth has been among the top 50 names given to girls in the past 10 years born in England and Wales, as well Canada and Australia, and has been in the top 100 most popular names given to baby girls born in Scotland and Ireland. In 2022, it was the 25th most popular name given to girls in Canada.[2] Elizaveta (Eлизaвeтa), a Russian form of the name, has been in the top 10 names given to baby girls born in Moscow, Russia in the past 10 years. The name is also popular in Ukraine and Belarus.

Name variants

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Diminutives

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First half

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Middle

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  • Babette (French)
  • Ibbie, Ibby, Issy, Issie, Libby, Libbie, Liddy, Liddie (English)
  • Liba (archaic, rural areas) (Catalan)
  • Isa (German)

Second half

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People with the given name

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Biblical figures

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Elizabeth (1st century BC), the mother of John the Baptist.

Royalty

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Other aristocrats

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Saints

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Politicians and activists

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Businesswomen

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Military

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Musicians

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Scientists

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Writers

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Actresses

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Artists

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Sportsmen

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Criminals

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Others

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Disambiguation lists

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Fictional characters

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See also

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  • Ælfthryth, an unrelated Anglo-Saxon name, derived from the Old English Ælfþryð ('elf-strength'), superficially similar to Aelswith, Elspeth, and several other variants of Elizabeth. Later, it was more often rendered as Elfriede, Elfrida or Alfreda.

References

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  1. ^ Frank Nuessel (1992). The Study of Names: A Guide to the Principles and Topics. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 10. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Table 17-10-0147-01 First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators (Number)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
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