Elsa is a female given name mostly used in the Scandinavian countries.
In the past, Elsa was simply a short form for the biblical name Elisabeth and some of its variants: Elisabet, Elisabetta and Elizabeth.
The first records mentioning the name Elsa were produced in Sweden in the 15th century and it became a generally used name only after the 19th century.
Eli
Elis
Elise
Eliza
Ella
Elle
Else
Elsie
Elys
Elza
Ilsa
Ilse
After the release of Frozen at the end of 2013, the name became more popular in different countries across the world.
In Sweden the name was in the top 10 baby names before Disney's Frozen was released, yet it became the most popular name only afterwards, in 2014 and 2015.
In the US, the number of babies named Elsa was 487 in 2010, and it more than doubled in 2014.
Elsa Benítez (born 1977), Mexican model
Elsa Borg (1826-1909), Swedish social worker
Elsa Brändström (1888–1948), Swedish philanthropist
Elsa Beata Bunge (1734–1819), Swedish botanist
Elsa Einstein (1876–1936), German, Albert Einstein's second wife
Elsa Eschelsson (1861–1911), first Swedish woman doctor in law
Elsa Fougt (1744–1826), Swedish publisher
Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven (1874–1927), German artist/poet
Elsa Kazi (1884–1967), German writer and German origin Sindhi woman. famous for her poem The Neem Tree (Sindhi: نم جو وڻ).
Elsa Klensch (born 1933), Australian-American Fashion Commentator
Elsa Lanchester (1902–1986), English-American actress, probably best known for playing the Bride of Frankenstein
Elsa Leviseur (born 1932), South African-born American architect.
Elsa Lunghini (born 1973), French singer
Elsa Martinelli (born 1932 or 1935), Italian actress and former fashion model
Elsa Maxwell (1883–1963), American gossip columnist and author, songwriter, and professional hostess
Elsa Morante (1912–1985), Italian novelist
Elsa Peretti (born 1940), Italian jewelry designer
Elsa Ratassepp (1893-1972), Estonian actress
Elsa Salazar Cade (born 1952), American entomologist/educator
Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973), Parisian fashion designer of the 1920s and 1930s
Elsa Triolet (1896–1970), French writer
Elsa Zylberstein (born 1968), French actress
Elsa of Brabant, heroine of the Wagnerian opera Lohengrin
Baroness Elsa von Schraeder, from the film and stage show The Sound of Music
Elsa Schneider, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Elsa Cleeg, of Kim Possible
Elsa de Sica, from the manga/anime Gunslinger Girl
Elsa Shivers from I Know What You Did Last Summer
Elsa the Snow Queen, from Disney's Frozen
Elsa Mars, of American Horror Story: Freak Show, portrayed by Jessica Lange.
Exelsa, formerly Elsa, from the sitcom La familia P. Luche
Elsa the Lioness, subject of the book and film Born Free
