Elisabeth, Elizabeth

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “God is my oath; God is abundance.”

The name is a transliterated form of the Biblical Greek Ελισβετ (Elisabet), which is a Hellenized version of the Biblical Hebrew feminine name, אֱלִישֶׁבַע‎ (Elisheva).

Elizabeth appears twice in the Bible, once in the Old Testament as the name of Aaron’s wife and once in the New Testament as the wife of Zachariah and the mother of John the Baptist.

Elizabeth has remained fairly consistent in the U.S top 100 for over a hundred years. She currently ranks in at # 9 and the lowest she has ever come in the U.S. charts was in 1945 at # 26.

In Australia she is the 37th most popular female name (2007), in Canada, she ranks in at # 20 (2008), in England/Wales she came in at # 40 (2008), in Ireland at # 63 (2007) and in Scotland at # 68 (2008).

The name was borne by several saints and European royalty. Among the most notable bearers were, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a 12th-century Hungarian princess who was known for her acts of kindness and charity toward the poor and Queen Elizabeth I of England, including the current reigning Queen, Elizabeth II.

The name Isabel/Isabella are relatives, but have becomes so far apart from its original source, that they often occur concurrently in many European countries with Elizabeth, hence is why I shall devote a different post to Isabel/Isabella, but I shall cite her several times in this article as a variation whenever needed.

I believe one of the reasons why Elizabeth has been a long time favorite, is because of her versatility. She can be shortened to a variety of different nicknames, especially in English. The most popular are: (I have cited the ones that have commonly been used as independent given name with a black club)

Bess, Bessie, Beth♣, Bets, Betsy, Bet, Bettie/Betty, Bezzy, Bit, Bitsy, Biz, Buffy, Elisa♣, Elise♣, Elle♣, Eliza♣, Ella♣, Ellie, Elsa♣, Elsie♣, Ibbie, Lib, Libby, Lilly, Lisa♣, Liz, Lizzie, Liza♣, Tetty, Tibby and Tizzy.

Other forms of the name include:

Latinate Forms
Forms found in Latinate/Romance languages

• Sabela (Asturian)
• Elisabèt, Lisabèt (Bearnais)
• Elisabet (Catalan)
• Babette (French: originally a diminutive form, used as independent given name, now considered extremely dated)
• Élisabeth (French)
• Élise (French)
• Lise (French)
• Lisette (French: originally a diminutive form but exclusively used as an independent given name)
• Bettina (Italian)
• Elisa (Italian/French/Portuguese: appears in Boccaccio’s Decameron as the name of one of the female story tellers).
• Elisabella (Italian: obscure)
• Elisabetta (Italian/Romansch)
• Elisa (Italian/Sardinian/Spanish)
• Elisanna/Elisena (Italian: obscure)
• Elisetta (Italian)
• Lelisa (Italian: obscure)
• Lisa (Italian/Spanish)
• Lisella (Italian: obscure)
• Lisena (Italian: obscure)
• Lisetta (Italian)
• Lisina/Lisinda (Italian: obscure)
• Lisanna (Italian)
• Elisabetha (Late Latin)
• Elizabetta (Liguru: a minor language spoken in Italy)
• Elisabeta/Elisèu/Eliso (Occitanian)
• Elisabete/Elisete/Elsa (Portuguese)
• Babèu/Eisabèu/ Lisabèu (Provencal: Babeu is a diminutive)
• Elisabeta (Romanian/Spanish)
• Lisabetta (Romansch/Corsican)
• Lisabbetta (Sicilian)
• Isabel/Ysabel (Spanish/Aragonese/Catalan/Galician/Portuguese)

Germanic Forms
Forms used in Germanic languages

• Elsabe (Afrikaans)
• Liesel (Alsatian)
• Elisabet (Danish/Faroese/Swedish/Norwegian)
• Elsebeth (Danish)
• Else (Danish)
• Lise (Danish/German)
• Lis (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish)
• Lisbet (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish)
• Lisbeth (Danish/German)
• Els (Dutch: a diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent give name)
• Elsa (Dutch/German/Swedish)
• Liesbeth/Lijsbeth (Dutch)
• Liesje (Dutch)
• Eliza (English: originally a diminutive, exclusively used as an independent given name)
• Elsba/Elsbet/Elsuba/Elusbet (Faroese)
• Elspa (Faroese)
• Lisabet/Lisbet (Faroese)
• Elsebe/Elsche/Eske/Telsa (Frisian)
• Bettina/Bettine (German: a borrowing from the Italian)
• Elisa (German: a borrowing from Romance languages)
• Elisabeth (German/Dutch)
• Elise (German/Danish/Dutch/English/Norwegian: a borrowing from the French)
• Elli (German: diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name)
• Elsbeth (German/Swiss-German dialectical form)
• Ilsa/Ilse (German/Dutch: initially a diminutive form, popularly bestowed as an independent given name, now considered dated. il-SEH)
• Lies/Liesa/Liese (German/Dutch)
• Liesel/Liesl (German: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name, now considered dated)
• Lilli (German: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name due to its association with the flower)
• Lisa/Lise (German/Dutch/English/Swedish/Danish/Norwegian)
• Sabeth (German: obscure)
• Aileisabaiþ (Gothic)
• Elísabet (Icelandic)
• Ellisif/Ellisiv (Norwegian)
• Lieken, Lüke, Lücken (Plattdeutsch)
• Bettan (Swedish: originally a diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name, but now considered dated)
• Lisen (Swedish: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name)

German diminutive forms are Betti, Elis, Elli, Elschen, and Lieschen.

Slavic Forms
Forms used in Slavic speaking countries

• Elisaveta Елисавета (Bulgarian)
• Elizabeta (Croatian)
• Alžběta (Czech: alzh-BYEH-tah)
• Eliška (Czech: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given. eh-LEESH-kah)
• Elisabeti Елїсабеть (Old Church Slavonic)
• Eliza (Polish: eh-LEE-zah)
• Elżbieta (Polish: elsh-BYEH-tah)
• Halszka (Polish: archaic. HAHLSH-kah)
• Halżbieta (Polish: archaic. halsh-BYEH-tah)
• Elizaveta/Yelizaveta Елизавета (Russian)
• Jelisaveta (Serbian)
• Alžbeta (Slovak)
• Ažbeta (Slovene)
• Betina (Slovene)
• Elica (Slovene: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name. eh-LEET-sah)
• Elisa/Elis (Slovene)
• Elizabeta/Elizabet (Slovene)
• Elza (Slovene)
• Jelisava (Slovene)
• Lizabeta (Slovene)
• Špela (Slovene: originally a diminutive form, exclusively used as an independent given name. SHPEH-lah)
• Hilža (Sorbian)
• Lisaveta/Yelysaveta (Ukrainian)

Czech diminutive forms are Běta, Bětka, Bětuška, Betynka, Bětuše, Betyna, and Líza. Slovakian diminutives include: Beta, Betka, Betuška, Betinka, Betuša and Betina. Polish diminutive forms are Bieta, Ela (the most prevalent), Elka, Elunia and Elżunia. Slovene diminutives are: Beta, Beti, Betika, Ela, Eli, Elzi, Špelca, Špelica, Špelka, Jelica, Lili, and Lizika.

Baltic Forms
Forms used in the Baltic States

• Eliisabet (Estonian)
• Elts (Estonian)
• Etti (Estonian)
• Ilze (Estonian)
• Liisa/Liisi/Liis (Estonian/Finnish)
• Liisu (Estonian)
• Eliisa (Finnish)
• Elizabete (Latvian)
• Līze/Lizina (Latvian)
• Elžbieta (Lithuanian)
• Eliissá/Liisá/Liissá (Saami)

Celtic Forms
Forms used in Celtic based languages

• Elesbed (Breton)
• Eilís (Irish: IE-leesh)
• Ealisaid (Manx: ALE-is-sed)
• Ealee (Manx)
• Ealish (Manx)
• Ealasaid (Scottish)
• Elspeth (Scottish)
• Bethan/Betsan (Welsh)

Other forms

• Elizabeta (Albanian)
• Ilizabith إليزابيث (Arabic)
• Il-Shvai ܐܠܝܫܒܥ \ܐܠܝܫܒܚ (Aramaic)
• Elsapet (Armenian)
• Yeghisapet (Armenian)
• Zabel (Armenian)
• Elixabete/Elixabet/Elizabete (Basque: former are pronounced eh-LEE-sheh-BEH-tah and eh-LEE-shah-Bet)
• Elixi (Basque: eh-LEE-shee)
• Elisheba (Biblical Hebrew)
• Eliso ელისო (Georgian)
• Lizi (Georgian)
• Elisavet Ελισαβετ(Greek: Modern)
• Zeta (Greek: Modern)
• Ilsipat (Greenlandic)
• Elikapeka (Hawaiian)
• Elisheva (Hebrew: see Hebrew script above)
• Lizzamma (Hindi/Indian)
• Erzsébet/Orzebet (Hungarian: ER-zhey-bet)
• Aley/Aleyamma/Aleykutty (Malayalam)
• Eli/Eliamma (Malayalam)
• Elizabetta (Maltese)
• Erihapeti (Maori)
• Elizabet (Turkish)

Hungarian nicknames includes Bözsi, Erzsi (ER-zhee), and Zsóka (ZHO-kaw).

Medieval Forms
Forms no longer in usage from Medieval Europe

• Ysabel/Ysabet (Catalan, Valencia, 16th-century)
• Elisaued (Cornwall, England, 10th-century)
• Elizabez (England, 13th-century)
• Lylie/Lilion (England, 13th-century, possibly nicknames)
• Elisota (England, 14th-century)
• Elseby (Finland)
• Isabelot (France, Paris, 13th-century)
• Yzabé (France, Bordeaux, 15th-century)
• Besina (14th-century Italy, Venice, possibly a diminutive form)
• Isabetta (Italy, Florence 15th-century)
• Bechte (Germany, 15th-century, most likely a diminutive form)
• Beth (Germany, 15th-century, diminutive form)
• Bettlin (Germany, 15th-century, probably a diminutive form)
• Bytzel (Germany, 15th-century, diminutive form)
• Els (Germany, 15th-century, diminutive form)
• Elsslein (Germany, late 15th-century)
• Elsslin (Germany, 15th-century, probably a diminutive form)
• Eltzabet (Germany, late 15th-century)
• Lyse (Germany, 15th-century, diminutive form)
• Elsebeth (Germany, 15th-century)
• Elzebeth (German, in Silesia, 14th-century)
• Nele/Neleke (German, in Silesia, 14th-century, most likely than not, diminutive forms)
• Elysant (Normandy, 1190)
• Helisent (Normandy, 1221)
• Isabellis (Normandy, 12th-century)
• Ysabels/Yzabels/Yzabela (Occitan, Saint Flour, 14th-century)
• Elitze (Sweden, 15th-century)
• Elsika/Elsiko/Elzeke (Sweden, 15th-century)
• Elsby/Elzeby (Sweden, 16th-century)
• Aleseta (Switzerland, Sion, 14th-century)

Name-days are: November 17 and November 19.