Fun Facts About the Name Ilse
- More than 2 thousand babies named Ilse: U.S. records list 2,401 babies given the name Ilse from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ilse Mean?
Ilse is a German feminine given name. It is most commonly explained as a short form of Elisabeth, the German form of Elizabeth. Elisabeth goes back through Greek Elisabet to Hebrew Elisheva. That Hebrew name is usually understood as "my God is an oath" or "my God is abundance," formed from el ("God"), a possessive element, and sheva ("oath" or "abundance"). Because Ilse is a pet form of Elisabeth rather than a separate biblical name, its meaning is the meaning of Elisabeth; the traditional English rendering is "God is my oath."
Ilse Name History & Origins
Ilse belongs to the large family of German short forms of Elisabeth. In German-speaking Europe, Elisabeth was shortened in many ways, producing familiar names such as Else, Ilse, Ilsa, and Liesel. Ilse is a contracted form: the middle syllables of Elisabeth are dropped and the ending is simplified to -e. It began as an affectionate everyday form of Elisabeth and later came to be used as an independent given name. The medieval veneration of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary and Thuringia (1207 - 1231) helped make the parent name Elisabeth widely known in German lands, and its pet forms spread alongside it.
Ilse is also the name of a river in the Harz mountains of Germany. The river is linked with a legendary Princess Ilse, and Heinrich Heine's poem "Die Ilse," part of his Die Harzreise, gives a well-known literary version of that figure. That river and its literary figure are separate from the personal name's origin in Elisabeth; they do not explain the etymology of the given name.
As an independent name, Ilse has been used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. It also appears in German-speaking communities abroad.
How Popular is the Name Ilse?
Ilse has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1993. Its best rank was #1,516 in 1994.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,937 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 2024 | #4,929 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 2023 | #4,790 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 2022 | #2,970 | 56 | 0.0034% |
| 2021 | #4,128 | 35 | 0.0021% |
| 2020 | #4,298 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 2019 | #4,385 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2018 | #4,489 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2017 | #4,735 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2016 | #5,353 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2015 | #4,338 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2014 | #3,804 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2013 | #4,572 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2012 | #4,421 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2011 | #3,627 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2010 | #3,847 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 2009 | #3,213 | 52 | 0.0028% |
| 2008 | #3,093 | 55 | 0.0029% |
| 2007 | #3,672 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2006 | #3,196 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 2005 | #2,486 | 70 | 0.0038% |
| 2004 | #3,708 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2003 | #2,564 | 63 | 0.0034% |
| 2002 | #2,799 | 54 | 0.0030% |
| 2001 | #2,978 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2000 | #2,874 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 1999 | #2,798 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 1998 | #1,996 | 75 | 0.0042% |
| 1997 | #1,917 | 76 | 0.0044% |
| 1996 | #2,067 | 67 | 0.0038% |
| 1995 | #1,927 | 72 | 0.0041% |
| 1994 | #1,516 | 103 | 0.0058% |
| 1993 | #1,524 | 103 | 0.0057% |
| 1992 | #2,587 | 48 | 0.0026% |
| 1991 | #1,841 | 77 | 0.0041% |
| 1990 | #2,445 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 1989 | #3,002 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1988 | #2,611 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1987 | #3,667 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1986 | #5,272 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1985 | #6,624 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1984 | #7,642 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #10,863 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #9,633 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #8,437 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,989 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #7,194 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #7,825 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #7,436 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #8,053 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #5,642 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #6,219 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #4,863 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #4,830 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #5,853 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #5,674 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #5,028 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #3,465 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1964 | #4,461 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #4,667 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #4,103 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #4,928 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #6,620 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #5,089 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #4,036 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1956 | #5,541 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #4,905 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #4,089 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1953 | #3,351 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1952 | #5,895 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #5,739 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #3,263 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1945 | #4,237 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1944 | #4,844 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #4,954 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1939 | #3,006 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1938 | #4,599 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #4,530 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #2,195 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1935 | #3,558 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1934 | #3,606 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1933 | #2,986 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1932 | #2,925 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1931 | #3,080 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1930 | #1,679 | 23 | 0.0020% |
| 1929 | #2,130 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1928 | #3,944 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1927 | #2,383 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1926 | #3,152 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1924 | #3,244 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1922 | #3,812 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1918 | #2,742 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1917 | #4,315 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1916 | #3,393 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1915 | #2,995 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1914 | #2,338 | 10 | 0.0013% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ilse Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Ilse's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ilse's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.