Meaning of the nameElsa
Elsa is a feminine name, a German short form of Elisabeth, a Hebrew name that Behind the Name translates as 'my God is an oath'.
Meaning
“short form of Elisabeth, 'my God is an oath'”
- People (2022)
- 16,302
- Rank in Brazil
- #1,216
- Median age
- 64 years
- 2010 Census
- 17,504
- people
Elsa in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Elsa, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1950s (4,340 people).
16,225 women 77 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Elsa is most common
States with the highest share of people named Elsa in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Rio Grande do Sul 0.021%
- Santa Catarina 0.014%
- Paraná 0.013%
- Mato Grosso do Sul 0.010%
- Rondônia 0.010%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 3,949 | 0.009% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 2,302 | 0.021% |
| Paraná | 1,522 | 0.013% |
| Minas Gerais | 1,488 | 0.007% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 1,129 | 0.007% |
| Santa Catarina | 1,042 | 0.014% |
| Bahia | 671 | 0.005% |
| Goiás | 590 | 0.008% |
| Pernambuco | 441 | 0.005% |
| Pará | 419 | 0.005% |
| Espírito Santo | 306 | 0.008% |
| Mato Grosso | 296 | 0.008% |
| Ceará | 270 | 0.003% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 266 | 0.010% |
| Maranhão | 248 | 0.004% |
| Piauí | 231 | 0.007% |
| Paraíba | 182 | 0.005% |
| Distrito Federal | 151 | 0.005% |
| Rondônia | 150 | 0.010% |
| Alagoas | 147 | 0.005% |
| Amazonas | 141 | 0.004% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 114 | 0.004% |
| Tocantins | 85 | 0.006% |
| Acre | 49 | 0.006% |
| Sergipe | 47 | 0.002% |
| Amapá | 35 | 0.005% |
| Roraima | 31 | 0.005% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Elsa
In its German entry, Wiktionary describes Elsa as a medieval diminutive of Elisabeth, and Behind the Name presents it as a short form of Elisabeth, generally used as an independent name, and includes it among the Portuguese forms of Elizabeth. Elisabeth comes from Hebrew Elisheva, which Behind the Name explains as el, 'God', and shava, 'oath'; in the New Testament, it is the name of the mother of John the Baptist. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 16,302 people named Elsa, with a median age of 64; proportionally, the name is most common in Rio Grande do Sul. The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil (Dictionary of Names in Use in Brazil) lists Helsa as a graphic variant.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Elsa · en.wiktionary.org · origin
- Behind the Name: Elsa · behindthename.com · meaning
- Behind the Name: Elizabeth · behindthename.com · meaning
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Elsa · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · spelling
Questions about the name Elsa
What does the name Elsa mean?
Elsa means “short form of Elisabeth, 'my God is an oath'”, according to Behind the Name.
How many people are named Elsa in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 16,302 people with the first name Elsa, which ranks it number 1,216 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1950s.
Is Elsa a boy's or a girl's name?
Elsa is a female name: in the 2022 Census, 16,225 women and 77 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Elsa?
Elsa is a name of Hebrew and Germanic origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Elsa most common?
Proportionally, in Rio Grande do Sul: 0.021% of the state's population is named Elsa (2,302 people), according to the 2022 Census.
Names that also mean God
See all- Gabriela♀Feminine form of Gabriel, 'God is my strong man'416,654 people
- Isabela♀Form of Isabel, from Elisheva, 'my God is an oath'358,542 people
- Rafaela♀Feminine form of Rafael, 'God heals'317,643 people
- Daniela♀Feminine form of Daniel, 'God is my judge'285,876 people
- Joana♀Feminine of João, 'Yahweh is gracious'238,493 people
- Daniele♀Feminine form of Daniel, 'God is my judge'230,628 people
- Isabel♀My God is an oath212,274 people
- Daiane♀Form of Diane and Diana, 'divine'200,981 people
More names of Hebrew origin
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- Jéssica♀Probably from the biblical name Iscah, perhaps 'he will see'450,167 people
- Débora♀Bee322,208 people
- Jaqueline♀Feminine form of Jacques, a name that goes back to Jacob, explained…288,717 people
- Raquel♀Ewe282,435 people
- Josefa♀Feminine form of Joseph, 'he will add'274,653 people
- Geovana♀Variant of Giovanna, the Italian feminine of João, 'Yahweh is…185,085 people
- Edna♀Pleasure, delight183,091 people
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