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Lise

Feminine · “my God is an oath”

1922high 1959
Rare todaygiven to only a few children a year
rareCharts in 1 more country

Lise is one syllable in French and two in German, and the same four letters serve both. That is unusual: most names that cross a border change their spelling to keep their sound, and this one changed its sound to keep its spelling.

How old is the name Lise?

Lise first appears in US birth records in 1922 — 103 years ago. The typical Lise alive today was born around 1961, making them about 64 years old. About 2,400 people named Lise are estimated to be alive in the US today.

When was the name Lise most popular?

Lise peaked in 1959, reaching #818 nationally. See the whole 1959 chart.

Compare this nameMore “L” names

Lise appears on this list:

I

Where it comes from

The story of Lise

French treats a final e as silent, so Lise is LEEZ, one beat. German gives a final e a full short vowel, so Lise is LEE-zuh, two. Both languages cut the same syllable out of the same long name and wrote it the same way, and the results only sound alike in the first half. English, meeting both, has generally taken the French reading and left the German one to German families — which is why an American Lise and a German Lise may not recognize each other's name spoken aloud. It is the continental short form that English never quite adopted, having gone with Liz and Beth instead.

Meaningscholars disagree

my God is an oath

Cut from Elisabeth, whose Hebrew original is read either as an oath or as abundance. The short form carries the argument and adds nothing to it.

How the name formed

  1. Elisabeth
  2. Lise

Related forms: Lise · Liese · Lise

Pronouncing Lise

LEEZ

One syllable in French and English, rhyming with please. German and Danish give it two, LEE-zuh.

Nicknames for Lise

Moderate

LisetteThe French diminutive built on this form
LiliAn affectionate form used in French and German households alike
II

What the data says

The long climb, and where it stands now

GIRLS NAMED · 1922–2025157790157519222024

US babies named Lise per year from 1922 to 2025
AVERAGE RANK BY DECADE#1#10#100#1000#8181920s2020s

The same years in position rather than babies

First recorded
1922
Most girls named
1959157 — the highest on record
Peak rank
#818reached in 1959
Change vs 2019
−28.6%5 in 2024, from 7
Lise sits in the rare tail. Its best year on record was 1959, with 157 girls. Today it is given to few enough children that it does not enter the ranked charts at all.

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.

Lise in other languages

France · ~540 babies, 2025#95

The same name elsewhere

  • Lise in French — same name
  • Liese in German — spelling variant
  • Lise in Danish — same name

INSEE rounds every published count to the nearest five for statistical confidentiality; the ranks are calculated from the exact figures. International figures from INSEE. Sources

Lises among us

2,400

people named Lise are estimated to be alive in the US today

Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method

III

Is it right for you

Fashion outlook

Lise 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

Practical strengths
  • Four letters and one syllable, which sits well in front of any surname.
  • It is a standing name in France, Germany, Denmark and Norway.
  • The name behind it is one of the largest in Europe.
What to consider
  • The syllable count changes with the language, so the name is said two ways.
  • English readers will offer Lisa, Liese and Elise instead.
  • It reads as a French name in America and as a German one in Europe.

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Lise

Feminine

♥ Love itNot for meLet’s talk about it
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Frequently asked

How many Lises are there in the world?
No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,400 people named Lise are estimated to be alive in the US today.
How popular is the name Lise in 2025?
Lise is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
Will my child share the name Lise with classmates?
Lise 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 Lise? See the current top 100.

Choosing between Lise and another name?

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US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology

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