NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Lisa

A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "consecrated to God".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Lisa is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Lisa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #795, with 47 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 445 births.

This profile covers 3,526 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 11% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 16,113 living people in the UK are called Lisa. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Lisa ranked #795 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 47 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 445 girls were registered as Lisa.
  • Lisa ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #336 in 2019.
  • About 16,113 living people in the UK are estimated to have Lisa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#795

2024

Births in 2024

47

Latest year

Peak year

1996

445 births

Estimated living

16,113

2026

Meaning

What does Lisa mean?

The name Lisa is derived from the Hebrew name Elizabeth, which means "consecrated to God" or "my God is an oath." The name's origins can be traced back to the Old Testament, where it appears as Elisheva, the wife of Aaron, the brother of Moses.

In ancient times, the name Elizabeth was popular among Jews and later adopted by Christians. The abbreviated form, Lisa, emerged in the Middle Ages as a diminutive or pet form of the name Elizabeth. It was particularly common in Italy, where it was spelled as Lisa or Lisa.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lisa can be found in the 13th-century poem "Divina Commedia" by Dante Alighieri, where a character named Lisa is mentioned. In the 14th century, the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio also featured a character named Lisa in his famous work "Decameron."

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lisa. One of the most famous was Lisa del Giocondo, an Italian noblewoman who is believed to have been the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting, the Mona Lisa, completed around 1506.

Another significant figure was Lisa Gherardini, an Italian woman who lived in Florence in the 15th century and was the wife of a wealthy silk merchant. Some historians believe she may have been the model for the Mona Lisa, although this is still debated.

In the 16th century, Lisa Lotti was an Italian painter and architect who was one of the few women artists of the Renaissance period. She was born in 1555 and is known for her architectural designs and paintings.

In more recent times, the name Lisa has been associated with several influential figures, such as Lisa Kudrow, the American actress best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay on the popular sitcom "Friends." Kudrow was born in 1963.

Another notable Lisa is Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of music legend Elvis Presley. She was born in 1968 and has pursued a career as a singer and songwriter.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Lisa over time

The chart below shows babies named Lisa registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Lisa, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 47 births in 2024, compared with 445 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Lisa
0111223334445199620102024

Decades

Lisa by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Lisa was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #813 224 5
2010s #726 570 10
2000s #313 1,429 10
1990s #146 1,303 4

Geography

Where Lisa is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Lisa. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Lisa ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #336 in 2019.

Northern Ireland
4
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Lisa in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#790 in 2024

46 years of NRS records, 12,583 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#336 in 2019

17 years of NISRA records, 240 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Lisa

  • Lisa Westcott

    hairdresser; make-up artist

    make-up artist

    2000-2024

  • Lisa Thomson

    rugby union player; rugby sevens player

    Scottish rugby union player

    1997-

  • Lisa Whybourn

    tennis player

    British tennis player

    1991-

  • Lisa Whiteside

    boxer

    English boxer

    1985-

  • Lisa Williamson

    writer; film actor; children's writer; stage actor

    children's / young adult writer

    1980-

  • Lisa Townsend

    Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner

    1980-

  • Lisa Wooding

    field hockey player

    English field hockey player

    1979-

  • Lisa Shaw

    journalist; radio personality

    British radio presenter and journalist (1976-2021)

    1976-2021

Related

Names similar to Lisa

FAQ

Lisa: questions and answers

How popular is the name Lisa in the UK right now?

In 2024, Lisa was ranked #795 for girls in England and Wales, with 47 births registered.

When was Lisa most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 445 babies registered as Lisa in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Lisa?

A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "consecrated to God".

How many people are called Lisa in the UK?

A total of 3,526 babies have been registered as Lisa across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 12,583 more in Scotland and 240 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Lisa most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Lisa ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #336 in 2019. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.