MEANING & HISTORY
What does Lisa mean?
Lisa has two specifically documented pathways relevant to this catalogue. The familiar English and European form is shortened from Elisabeth, with the older Hebrew oath-related background.
The Cebuano dictionary also records a clipping of Felisa, a different Latin-derived name family associated with good fortune. Those roots should not be combined into a new translation. Lisa’s exact spelling alone cannot tell which longer name a Philippine family had in mind.
Both documented formations are useful, while an individual’s own naming history decides between them.
References for this explanation
- Wiktionary contributors — Lisa (Cebuano) ↗
- Wiktionary contributors — Lisa (English) ↗
- Wiktionary contributors — Lisa (English) ↗
- Behind the Name — lisa ↗
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources — Elizabeth ↗
- Behind the Name — felisa ↗
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources — Felix ↗
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
English
- /ˈliːsə/Received-Pronunciation
- /ˈliːzə/Received-Pronunciation
- /ˈlaɪzə/Received-Pronunciation
- /ˈlisə/General-American
- /ˈlizə/General-American
- /ˈlaɪzə/General-American
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
CebuanoEtymology & source
Clipping of Felisa. Also from English Liza, Lisa, diminutives of Elizabeth.
a female given name from English
EnglishEtymology & source
Diminutive of Elisabeth in several European languages. The computer is named after Lisa Brennan-Jobs, officially explained as an acronym for “Locally Integrated Software Architecture”.
A female given name from Hebrew.
EnglishEtymology & source
The spelling of Elizabeth used in the Authorized Version of the New Testament. Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), a transliteration of Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elishéva, “my God is an oath”).
A female given name from Hebrew, a less common form of Elizabeth in English.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Lisa
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Lisa Macuja-Elizalde
Filipina prima ballerina
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Wikidata
2
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Lisa Paguntalan
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Lisa in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Related forms & spellings
Related forms may have their own language histories. They are not included in this spelling’s PSA count.
Similar names to Lisa
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Elisa♀Form of Elisabeth; God is my oath
- Lina♀Short form of names ending in lina
- Lita♀Short form of names ending in -lita
- Liza♀Short form of Elizabeth; God is my oath
- Luisa♀Famous in battle; feminine form of Luis
- Felisa♀Feminine form of Félix; happy or fortunate
- Liam♂Irish short form of William, whose elements mean will and protection
- Lilia♀Lily or lilies
What rhymes with Lisa?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Lisa further
Follow the sources
- Wikidata given-name item Q1588186 — Lisa (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Lisa Macuja-Elizalde (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q1588186 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wikidata — Lisa Paguntalan (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q1588186 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Lisa (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Lisa (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary contributors — Lisa (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Behind the Name — lisa (opens in a new tab)
Consulted editorial entry, not user submissions: Elizabeth short form.
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources — Elizabeth (opens in a new tab)
Hebrew my God is an oath.
- Behind the Name — felisa (opens in a new tab)
Consulted editorial entry, not user submissions: Felisa in the Felicia/Felix family.
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources — Felix (opens in a new tab)
Latin fortunate/happy root applies only to Felisa route.