 World map showing the countries where the names Elsa or Elza are popular. Any color means the name is among the 100 most popular names either in the population or among newborns. | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Region of origin | Scandinavia |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Elisabeth, Elisabet, Elisabetta and Elizabeth |
| Related names | Eli, Elis, Élise, Eliza, Ella, Elle, Else, Elsie, Elys, Elza, Ilsa, Ilse |
| Popularity | see popular names |
Elsa is a female name mostly used in the Scandinavian countries.
Originally Elsa was simply a short form for the biblical name Elisabeth and some of its variants: Elisabet, Elisabetta and Elizabeth. [1]
The first recorded mentions of the name were in Sweden at the 15th century. The name became generally used after the 19th century. [1]
After the release of Disney's Frozen at the end of 2013, in which a main character is named Elsa, the name became more popular in different countries across the world. In the Faroe Islands and Sweden the name was in the top 10 baby names before the film was released, and became the most popular name afterwards, in 2014 and 2015. [1]
Alexandra is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander. Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb ἀλέξειν and ἀνήρ. Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "protector of man". The name Alexandra was one of the epithets given to the Greek goddess Hera and as such is usually taken to mean "one who comes to save warriors". The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀩𐀏𐀭𐀅𐀨, written in the Linear B syllabic script. Alexandra and its masculine equivalent, Alexander, are both common names in Greece as well as countries where Germanic, Romance, and Slavic languages are spoken.
Vanessa is a feminine given name.
Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both.
Agatha, also Agata, is a feminine given name derived from the Greek feminine name Ἀγάθη, which is a nominalized form of ἀγαθή (agathḗ), i.e. the feminine form of the adjective ἀγαθός (agathós) "good".
Danielle is a modern French female variant of the male name Daniel, meaning "The God(dess)" in the French language.
Eva is a female given name, the Latinate counterpart of English Eve, which is derived from the Hebrew חַוָּה (Chava/Hava), meaning "life" or "living one", the name of the first woman according to the Hebrew Bible. It can also mean full of life or mother of life. It is the standard biblical form of Eve in many European languages. Evita is a diminutive form, in Spanish.
Hannah, also spelled Hanna, Hana, Hanah, or Chana, is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It is derived from the root ḥ-n-n, meaning "favour" or "grace". A Dictionary of First Names attributes the name to a word meaning 'He (God) has favoured me with a child'. Anne, Ana, Ann, and other variants of the name derive from the Hellenized Hebrew: Anna (Ἅννα)
Jessica is a female given name of Hebrew origin.
Sophia, also spelled Sofia, is a feminine given name, from Greek Σοφία, Sophía, "Wisdom". Other forms include Sophie, Sophy, and Sofie. The given name is first recorded in the beginning of the 4th century. It is a common female name in the Eastern Orthodox countries. It became very popular in the West beginning in the later 1990s and became one of the most popularly given girls' names in the Western world in the first decades of the 21st century.
Louise and Luise are, respectively, French and German feminine forms of the given name Louis. Louise has been regularly used as a female name in English speaking countries since the middle of the 19th century. It has ranked among the top 100 names given to girls in France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and Wales in recent years. It last ranked among the top 1,000 first names for girls born in the United States in 1991, but remains a more common middle name.
Tatiana is a female name of Sabine-Roman origin that became widespread in Eastern Europe.
The given name Erika is a female name with multiple meanings of Old Norse and Japanese origin.
Anna is a feminine given name, the Latin form of the Greek: Ἄννα and the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning "favour" or "grace".
Elisa is both a feminine and masculine given name. It is of Phoenician origin. According to legend, the first queen of Carthage was Elissa. Another opinion is that it is a shortened form of Elisabeth, a variant of the Biblical name Elizabeth or that it is a shortened version of Elisha or Eliseus. For other uses, see Elisa (disambiguation).
Nina is a feminine given name with various origins and alternate spellings accordingly. Nina may also serve as a short form of names ending in "-nina/-ina", such as Clementina, Christina, or Giannina. It serves as a diminutive of the variation of nevertheless original form of Hebrew name, “Johannah”, or “Joanina”.
Laura is a traditionally feminine given name in Europe and the Americas, of Latin origin, whose meaning is a metonym for a victor, and an early hypocorism from Laurel and Lauren.
Marie is a variation of the feminine given name Maria.
Veronica is a female given name, a Latin alteration of the Greek name Berenice (Βερενίκη), which in turn is derived from the Macedonian form of the Athenian Φερενίκη, Phereníkē, or Φερονίκη, Pheroníkē, from φέρειν, phérein, to bring, and νίκη, níkê, "victory", i.e. "she who brings victory".
Stella is a female given name. It is derived from the Latin word for star. It has been in use in English-speaking countries since it was first used by Philip Sidney in Astrophel and Stella, his 1580s sonnet sequence. Use might also have increased due to Stella Maris as a title for the Virgin Mary by Catholics. Alternately, it is a feminine version of the Greek name Stylianos, meaning pillar.
Arno is both a surname and a Germanic given name. Notable people with the name include:
