My name is Elisha, and I'm a male. Let me tell you, growing up with a name that is viewed as a girl's name caused me to receive a lot of grief and bullying as a kid. In junior high there was a girl named Elisha and we had the same last name. That caused some issues for me too. Even as an adult I've had issues, such as having to apply for labor jobs using my middle name. I've considered changing my name to Elijah to avoid confusion, but never bothered.
― Anonymous User 7/29/2020
9
Honestly, I was surprised to find out that this was originally a male name.
Some of the comments here are a little intense. If you don't like it you don't like it. Don't waste such passion and intensity on something so silly. My name is Elisha, by the way, and yes, I am female. (It is pronounced like "Alicia", uh-lee-shuh.) It's not such a huge deal. Forget the "it sounds too" this or "it sounds too" that. The meaning of a name is the most important part and the meaning of Elisha in both its male and female versions is great. "God is my salvation"; "ornament"; "brightness" (Hebrew); "protected by God" (Sanskrit); "of a noble kind"; "noble"; "honorable" (Germanic); and so many more...
― Anonymous User 1/19/2017
2
My name is Elisha. My mom made me grow up pronouncing it E-leesh-ah. When I became older and read the Bible, I figured out that I wasn't pronouncing my own name correctly. I'm a girl, by the way. Proud to have the amazing name coming from a known story in the bible.
My name is Elisha and I am female. I will never understand people who are offended by girls who have originally "male" names, as if naming your daughter Riley or Spencer is somehow tarnishing a "strong, masculine" name. I'll have you know that it was my father who named me, so I highly doubt he (as a male) felt offended by it! Yep, Elisha was once considered a male name... in biblical times. Get with the 21st century. It's ignorant to think that unisex names can't exist. There's also no difference between Alisha and Elisha, besides the changing of the first letter. Elisha is a derivative of Alice and Alicia, along with Alisha, which are very female names. Not to mention it's pronounced differently for males and females. The male Elisha is derived from Elijah and is pronounced similarly as EH-LIE-SHUH. The female Elisha is pronounced EE-LEE-SHUH or EH-LEE-SHUH, which is more feminine with its slight difference in pronunciation. It is also not a "ghetto" name since it is not made up and has an actual Hebrew origin and meaning to it. Names that are considered "ghetto" are completely made up variations of preexisting names.
My brothers name is Elisha. We pronounce it Ee-lye-shuh but when people hear the name, they automatically assume he's a girl and pronounce it Uh-lee-shuh.
― Anonymous User 12/29/2013
2
I like Elisha even though it's not as popular as Elijah. I chose to call my character Eli for short even if it's not a recognized diminutive.
Whether you pronounce the name as ''ee-LIE-sha'' or ''e-LI-sha'', it has got to be the most feminine-sounding masculine name I have ever come across. I'm sorry, but it actually sounds like a feminine name, regardless of which pronunciation you pick, so I don't know who would dare to name their son this in America. Somewhere else, maybe, if it sounds masculine at all there. This didn't sound masculine to me when I was 11 years old, didn't speak English very well, and heard the track I May Be Single by a female singer named Elisha LaVerne on MTV on a few occasions (gosh, the crap I remember from 1996!). I don't think this name sounds masculine anywhere in Europe.
When I first saw this name printed out I thought it was a girl and was surprised to see it for a boy. It does look rather feminine and for those who aren't biblical are more inclined to pronounce it a-Lee-sha not e-Lie-sha.
― Anonymous User 5/2/2007
2
It absolutely makes me CRINGE to see this name on a girl.