Elisa

Elisa is a pet form of Elisabeth used primarily by Germans, Italians, English, Spanish and Portuguese. The French use it too, but more commonly as Élise. The medieval favorite Elisabeth has spawned numerous pet forms and diminutives over the centuries. Elisa is just one of the many examples. Elisabeth became an important name in the Middle Ages, popularized mainly by the French, at a time when Biblical and saint names were used for children as a protective measure. Elizabeth is an important Christian name found in the New Testament as the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:57). God delivered John unto Elizabeth even though she was barren and well past childbearing years. The name is essentially Greek (Elisabet) from the Hebrew (Elisheva) meaning “God is my oath." Elizabeth became popularized during the late medieval period as a given name, mostly influenced by two saints – St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Elizabeth of Portugal (see the Elizabeth page under historical references for more information on these two illustrious saints). The English generally used Elizabeth with a “z” in their spelling of the name so Eliza became the more popular pet form in English-speaking nations. Elisabeth with an “s” was common in the rest of Europe but the Spanish used Isabella. Elisa is now an independently given name in its own right and ranked high in Italy, Belgium, France, Austria and the Netherlands.