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The short answer
Eliza is a feminine name that Behind the Name defines as a "short form of Elizabeth", used in English, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Romanian, Hungarian and Georgian. Elizabeth comes, via the Greek Elisabet, from the Hebrew ʾElishevaʿ meaning "my God is an oath", from ʾel (God) and shavaʿ ("oath"). In English Eliza is pronounced ih-LIE-zə. Behind the Name notes that it was borne by the character Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion (1913) and the musical adaptation My Fair Lady (1956). In the United States it ranked #115 for girls in 2025.
Meaning and etymology
Behind the Name's Eliza entry says only that it is a "short form of Elizabeth" and adds the Pygmalion / My Fair Lady association. The meaning belongs to Elizabeth, which Behind the Name's Elizabeth entry derives "from Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning 'my God is an oath', derived from the roots אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning 'oath'." In the Old Testament Elisheba is the wife of Aaron; in the New Testament Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist. Behind the Name records Polish and Hungarian pronunciations (/ɛ.ˈli.za/, /ˈɛ.li.zɒ/) alongside the English one, and lists Elīza (Latvian) as a name with the same spelling.
Editorial confidence: established
Linguistic roots
| Language | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hebrew | ʾel (אֵל) | God (referring to the Hebrew God) |
| Hebrew | shavaʿ (שָׁבַע) | oath |
| Hebrew | ʾElishevaʿ (אֱלִישֶׁבַע) | my God is an oath (per the Elizabeth entry) |
| English | Elizabeth | the full name of which Eliza is a short form |
Popularity
Eliza ranked #115 for girls in the United States in 2025 (Social Security Administration). Behind the Name gives no ranking history for Eliza itself; its Elizabeth entry notes that the full name has never ranked below 30 in American statistics since 1880.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #115 | ssa-2025 |
Nicknames, variants, and related names
Nicknames: Lillie, Lillia
Variants: Liza, Elza, Ela, Eliso
Related names: Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Elise, Ella, Ellie, Libby, Lizzie, Betsy, Isabel, Isabella
What the name feels like
Eliza has a bright, quick rhythm with a stressed long-i in the middle. It reads as vintage but not fussy, literary through Shaw, and neater than the full Elizabeth, whose enormous family of forms it belongs to.
Style tags: short form, vintage, literary, biblical root, three syllables
Editorial interpretation: These style impressions are editorial judgment, not linguistic fact. The short-form derivation, the Doolittle association and the Hebrew meaning are Behind the Name's; the 'vintage' and 'literary' characterisations are opinion. The nicknames Lillie and Lillia are listed as diminutives by Behind the Name; other short forms belong to Elizabeth generally.
If you like this name
Names that share Eliza's sound, its Elizabeth root, or its vintage-literary style (editorial suggestions).
Similar by sound
Similar by origin
Similar by style
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Eliza mean?
Eliza is a short form of Elizabeth, which comes from the Hebrew ʾElishevaʿ meaning "my God is an oath", from ʾel (God) and shavaʿ ("oath"), according to Behind the Name.
Is Eliza short for Elizabeth?
Yes. Behind the Name defines Eliza as a short form of Elizabeth, though it is used as an independent given name in English, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Romanian, Hungarian and Georgian.
Is Eliza a popular name?
Eliza ranked #115 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Eliza — supports short form of Elizabeth, usage, pronunciation, Eliza Doolittle, variants and diminutives.
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Elizabeth — supports Hebrew etymology 'my God is an oath', biblical bearers, American ranking history of Elizabeth.
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
