Given name & surname
Else
“God is my oath”·“My God is bountiful”
In German use, Else is a short form of Elizabeth. “God is my oath” is the etymological interpretation given for Elisabeth, the same name in a different spelling. “My God is bountiful” is another recorded interpretation, but the two should be kept distinct rather than blended into one literal translation. In German use, Else is a variant of Elisabeth. One interpretation is “God is my oath.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Else is a short form of Elizabeth. “God is my oath” is the etymological interpretation given for Elisabeth, the same name in a different spelling. “My God is bountiful” is another recorded interpretation, but the two should be kept distinct rather than blended into one literal translation. In German use, Else is a variant of Elisabeth. One interpretation is “God is my oath.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In German use, Else is a short form of Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the usual English spelling of Elisabeth. The related biblical forms connect it with the Hebrew name Elisheba, borne by Aaron’s wife.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Danish use, Else is used as a form of ELsa. In German use, Else is a short form of Elizabeth. The shared background comes through Elizabeth: English generally uses Elizabeth with a z, where many European languages retain Elisabeth with an s. Elisabeth is connected with Elisheba; its final element may have been reshaped through association with Hebrew shabbath, “sabbath.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1884. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In German use, Else is a short form of Elizabeth. The history of Elizabeth gives this family its wider story. The New Testament Elisabeth is the mother of John the Baptist. English royal associations include Elizabeth I and, in the twentieth century, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and her daughter Elizabeth II. Elizabeth’s familiar forms developed along several paths, including Eliza, Beth, Bess, Betty, Libby and Lizzie. Else is a form of Elsa. The history of Elsa gives this family its wider story. Elsa’s historical associations include the English-born film actress Elsa Lanchester.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Else through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 514
- 0 boys · 514 girls
- Most popular year
- 1932
- 14 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2020. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,127 as a first name in 2020; 1,064 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Else’s family of names
Else is a short form of Elizabeth. In Danish usage, Else shares a linguistic root with the German form Elsa. In German usage, Else has a related form in Elisabeth.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Else has relatives in 4 languages.
4 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Else
- Else Lasker-SchülerJewish German poet (1869–1945)
- Els BorstDutch politician (1932-2014)
- Else AlfeltDanish artist (1910-1974)
- Else-Marthe Sørlie LybekkNorwegian handball playerborn 1978
- YvaGerman photographer (1900-1942)
- Else KrügerMartin Bormann's secretary (1915–2005)
- Else UryGerman Jewish novelist (1877–1943)
- Else BergDutch painter (1877-1942)
- Else JacobsenDanish swimmer (1911–1965)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Else, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Helon
“strong”
1% boys · 99% girls
Elza
“God is my oath” · “My God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Bette
“God is my oath” · “My God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Bettie
“my God is bountiful” · “God is my oath”
>99% girls
Shari
“one who is greatly loved; a darling” · “rose of Sharon”
>99% girls
Edwena
“one who is wealthy in friendship”
>99% girls
Hettie
“myrtle” · “resembling the myrtle leaf”
>99% girls
Shary
“princess”
>99% girls