Elisha

Derived from the Hebrew name meaning God is salvation, borne in the Old Testament by the prophet who succeeded Elijah. Early American ledgers treated it strictly as a boys' name alongside Ezra and Silas. By the late twentieth century, phonetic overlap with Alicia and a broader shift toward softer endings turned it into an almost exact split between boys and girls.

On paper, the name gives away nothing about the bearer until they walk through the door. Readers under forty often hear it as a variant of Alicia, while older readers think of an elevator patent or the Old Testament. It carries a quiet, academic tone that avoids drawing attention to itself. The bearer has spent a lifetime correcting people who misread it as Elijah.