Meaning & History
Elīza is a Latvian feminine given name, primarily used as a short form of Elizabete, the Latvian cognate of Elizabeth. According to Latvian naming records, Elīza first appeared as a female given name in 1861. The name also has a rare masculine homograph, recorded earlier in 1845 as a borrowing of the Hebrew name Elisha.
Etymology
The root of the name is Elizabeth, which derives from the Hebrew Elisheva (אֱלִישֶׁבַע), meaning "my God is an oath" — composed of the elements ʾel (God) and shavaʿ (oath). In the Old Testament, Elisheba appears as the wife of Aaron; the Greek form Elisabeth appears in the New Testament as the mother of John the Baptist.
Usage
While Balto-Finnic relatives like Elza (Latvian, Estonian) and Ilze (exclusively Latvian) are regional variants, Elīza itself remains the longer Latvian iteration in terms of spelling. As of 2010, according to the Population Register of Latvia, Elīza was the sole given name of 1,188 individuals.
- Meaning: Diminutive of Elizabeth
- Origin: Latvian adaptation of Hebrew Elisheva
- Type: Feminine first name; rare masculine variant
- Regions: Primarily Latvia
Related Names
Sources: Wiktionary — Elīza