Ilsa

♀ Girl

Pronounced IL-sah /ˈɪl.sɑ/Medium

Meaning: A German short form of Elisabeth/Ilse — from the Hebrew, 'God is my oath; pledged to God'Low

In 30 seconds: God is my oath: Ilsa is a short form of Elisabeth. Crisp, classic, and warm (said 'IL-sah').

Origin LowGerman, Hebrew

MeaningA German short form of Elisabeth/Ilse — from the Hebrew, 'God is my oath; pledged to God'

U.S. rank (2025)#5622 ↗ Rising

2025 U.S. births22 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2011

Total births (all-time)≈ 917

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

Ilsa is a German short form of Elisabeth/Ilse — from the Hebrew, 'God is my oath; pledged to God'. A crisp, classic name (said 'IL-sah').

In the U.S. it appears in German and Scandinavian families. Rare, God-is-my-oath at the root, and crisp.

Did you know? Elisabeth is 'God is my oath' — Ilsa is a German short form, crisp and classic (known from the film Casablanca; said 'IL-sah').

Overall data confidence 38%

References — Ilsa — German form of Elisabeth

IlseIlsahElsa

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Ilse— a kin spelling

Elsa— a fellow Elisabeth short form

Ella— a sound-adjacent girls' name

Issa— a similarly popular pick

Acsa— another Hebrew name

What does the name Ilsa mean?

Ilsa is a German short form of Elisabeth — Hebrew 'God is my oath; pledged to God'.

How do you pronounce Ilsa?

It's said IL-sah /ˈɪl.sɑ/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Ilsa a boy or girl name?

Ilsa is a girl's name.

How popular is Ilsa?

Ilsa is a very rare name in the U.S.