Lisabeth
Feminine · “My God is an oath”
Lisabeth writes the ending with an s where English usually writes a z. That is not a mistake or a modern respelling: it is the continental spelling, standard in German, French, Dutch and the Scandinavian languages, and English is the odd one out for using the other letter.
How old is the name Lisabeth?
Lisabeth first appears in US birth records in 1938 — 87 years ago. The typical Lisabeth alive today was born around 1965, making them about 60 years old. About 1,100 people named Lisabeth are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Lisabeth most popular?
Lisabeth peaked in 1958, reaching #1349 nationally. See the whole 1958 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Elisheva to Lisabeth
The story of Lisabeth
English writes the name with a z because English took it through a Latin form spelled that way and then standardized on it, while the rest of Europe kept the s. Both letters stand for the same sound in this position, since English s between vowels is voiced anyway, so nothing hangs on the choice except which tradition a spelling belongs to. Cutting the front off the name is a separate move and an old one: the full form is long, its first syllable is unstressed, and languages routinely drop exactly that syllable. Lisbeth, Lisabeth, Elsbeth and Babette are all the same operation performed by different countries at different times, and the American record holds several of them side by side.
Meaningscholars disagree
My God is an oath
The Hebrew joins a word for God to a second element that means both an oath and the number seven, since the two senses come from the same root and swearing an oath involved sevens in ways the language recorded and we no longer fully understand. Translations therefore vary between my God is an oath, my God is abundance, and readings involving the number, and none of them is wrong exactly.
How the name formed
- Elisheva
- Elisabeth
- Lisabeth
Related forms: Elisabeth · Lisbeth · Liesbeth · Elisabeth
Pronouncing Lisabeth
LIS-uh-beth
Three syllables with the stress at the front. The s is voiced in English speech regardless of the letter, so this spelling and a version with a z would sound the same; the difference is a matter of which tradition the family is writing in.
Nicknames for Lisabeth
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1938
- Most girls named
- 196447 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1349reached in 1958
- Change vs 2012
- +16.7%7 in 2018, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Lisabeth in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Elisabeth in German — related form
- Lisbeth in Swedish — same name
- Liesbeth in Dutch — same name
- Elisabeth in French — related form
Lisabeths among us
people named Lisabeth are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Lisabeth sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Two of the most established short forms in English, Lisa and Beth, are inside it and sound nothing alike.
- It is recognizable across German, Dutch and Scandinavian use without alteration.
- It gives a child a long formal name and two short informal ones from the first day.
- Elizabeth is the expected name and this will be treated as a shortening of it whatever the certificate says.
- Lisbeth, Lizbeth and Lisabeth are all current, so spelling it out is permanent.
- The s will be corrected to a z by Americans who have only met the English spelling.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Lisabeth to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Lisabeth? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Lisabeth
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Lisabeths are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Lisabeth are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Lisabeth in 2025?
- Lisabeth is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Lisabeth with classmates?
- Lisabeth will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More L names
The most-given names starting with L, all years combined.
Linda#902 · Lisa#987 · Laura#379 · Lauren#401 · Lillian#57 · Lori#1721 · Louise#514 · Lois#1666
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Lisabeth? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Lisabeth and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle