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Elisabeth (F)>

Elisabeth (female)

Synonym(s):Beatrice (F) Beatrix (F)
Variants:Elisabet (F) Elisabetta (F) Elisaid (F) Elizabeth (F) Elizabetha (F) Elspet (F) Elspeth (F) Yelisaveta (F)
Diminutive(s):Beth (F) Elisa (F) Élise (F) Elsa (F) Elyse (F) Illse (F) Ilse (F) Liesel (F) Liesl (F) Lisa (F) Lisabeth (F) Lise (F)
Pet Name(s):Elli (F) Leezie (F) Liese (F) Liesel (F) Liesl (F) Lili (F) Lilli (F) Lisbet (F) Lisbeth (F) Lissie (F) Lissy (F) Lisy (F) Lizbeth (F) Lizzie (F) Lizzy (F) Lysette (F) Tetsy (F)
Derivative(s):Élise (F) Elsa (F) Else (F) Elsie (F) Leesa (F) Leise (F) Liesele (F) Lis (F) Lisette (F)
Derivative of:Elisheba (F)
Lesser Synonym(s):Bathia (F) Bethia (F)
Can be spelt:Elisbeth (F) Elixabeth (F) Elizabeth (F)
   
Source(s): English Parish Register freereg.rootsweb.com
FreeCEN 1841 Census of Aberdeenshire
"Scottish Forenames" - Donald Whyte, FGH, FSG
1851 Census for Rathen, Banffshire, Scotland
Private communications [AC, BA, BH]
Notes:

English, French and German. This is the basic Continental European spelling variant of Elizabeth [q.v.], and also a common variant in Scotland. It is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Elisheba, "oath of God".

  • See Elizabeth for other variations and details.

Note that Elisabeth was the spelling used in the Authorised Version of the New Testament, e.g. Luke 1:60.

Most spelling variations can be found using Soundex searches for Elizabeth and Elisabeth but Elixabeth has occasionally been recorded in the transcription of the 1841 Census of Aberdeenshire which, while possibly a mis-reading, may need special care. In the 1851 Census of Rathen, there is a very high proportion of the spelling Elisbeth which would be found with a Soundex search.

In old documents in Latin, Elisabeth/ Elizabeth may be written as Elizabetha or as the abbreviation Eliza or Elisa. In either case care must be taken to allow for Latin case endings.

While there appears to be no obvious etymological connection between Beatrice/Beatrix and Elisabeth/Elizabeth, anecdotal evidence [AC, BA, BH] exists for the names being interchangeable in Scotland, possibly through the common pet name, Betty. One correspondent [AK] asserts that the names are etymologically similar but hard evidence does not appear in research sources.