Eliza (given name)

UK: /ɪˈlzə/
US: /əˈlzə/GenderFemaleOriginLanguage(s)HebrewMeaning"pledged to God; joyful"Other namesRelated namesElisa, Élise, Elizabeth, Elle, Ellie, Lisa, Liza, Elissa, Elza, Aliza

Eliza is a female given name in English, meaning "pledged to God" or "joyful."

Etymology

The name first developed as a diminutive of Elizabeth[1] in the 16th century and its use as an independent name started in the 18th century. The name Elizabeth has been around since the Middle Ages, mainly popularised by the French (using the spelling Elisabeth). Elizabeth with a "z" is the typical spelling in English. Elizabeth is found in the Bible (Luke 1:57) as the mother of John the Baptist. Elizabeth became popularised during the late medieval period as a given name, mostly influenced by two saints: St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Elizabeth of Portugal. It was brought to England by the French, and the English can be credited with the formation of Eliza as a hypocorism (the French use Élise).[2]

It may also be used as a variant of the Hebrew name Aliza, עַלִיזָה meaning "joyful".[3][4][5]

People with this name

Fictional characters

Characters in literary and screen works known solely as Eliza include:

  • Eliza (Uncle Tom's Cabin), a slave from Uncle Tom's Cabin
  • Eliza (Stephenson character), a socialite from Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle of novels
  • Eliza, the wife in the Eliza series of novels by Barry Pain
  • Eliza, a ghost child in short film Tormented
  • Eliza, love interest of Faust VIII in the manga Shaman King
  • Eliza, a female narcoleptic vampire from the Tekken series
  • Eliza (real name Neferu), a singer, model, and diva from Skullgirls

Characters that have the first name Eliza and a known last name include:

See also

  • Elisa (given name)
  • Eliza (disambiguation)

References

  1. ^ "Eliza". Behind the Name. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Eliza". oh baby names. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Aliza". Behind the Name. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Aliza". Think Baby Names. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Aliza". Babynamespedia. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
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