Elsa

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Elsa

Gender: Feminine
Language: English, German
Etymology:
Elsa is a German diminutive form the name Elisabeth (Elizabeth) from the Hebrew name, Elisheva, or Elisheba. Originally it meant “My God is Bountiful,” “God of Plenty,” “Consecrated to God,” “Oath of God,” “God is Satisfaction,” or “God is Perfection.”

History:
Elsa, a German diminutive, may have been introduced to the English-speaking world by Richard Wagner’s opera 1848 Lohengrin, but it was not used much until the late 19th century, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Probably, in most cases, American Victorians probably used Elsa as an exotic variant of the popular American diminutive Elsie, as the two names rose and fell in the early 20th century.

Please see Elizabeth for more information.

Pronunciation: ell-sah.

Alternates:
English: Elsie, Elsy.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Elsa Maxwell (1883-1963)
American columnist and songwriter.
Elsa Triolet (1896-1970)
Russian-French writer.
Elsa Morante (1918-1985)
Italian novelist.

Fictional Characters:
Elsa of Brabant (1210)
From the poem Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach. Later, Richard Wagner's Lohengrin.

Miscellaneous:
Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973)
French fashion designer.
Elsa the Lioness
A lion cub raised and released to the wild by naturalists Joy and George Adamson.

Singers and Entertainers:
Elsa Lancaster (Elizabeth Sullivan) (1902-1986)
English actress.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.028 % named Elsa

Popularity of Elsa:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1850: 701st most popular.
1875: 542nd most popular.
1900-1910: 279th most popular.
1910-1920: 395th most popular.
1920-1930: 526th most popular.
1930-1940: 425th most popular.
1940-1950: 449th most popular.
1950-1960: 449th most popular.
1960-1970: 537th most popular.
1970-1980: 583rd most popular.
1980-1990: 761st most popular.
1990: 708th most popular.
1991: 775th most popular.
1992: 794th most popular.
1993: 860th most popular.
1994: 831st most popular.
1995: 812th most popular.
1996: 862nd most popular.
1997: N/A
1998: 983rd most popular.
1998: 894th most popular.
2000: 902nd most popular.
2001: 899th most popular.
2002: 822nd most popular.
2003: 726th most popular.

In France...
1900: 146th most popular.
1905: 190th most popular.
1910-1970: N/A
1971: 157th most popular.
1980: 145th most popular.
1990: 83rd most popular.
2000: 70th most popular.