Niesha
A girl's name of African origin with 2,183 recorded U.S. births.
Meaning & Origin
Niesha sits in the vintage zone of American naming: first recorded in 1969, peaking in 1991, with 2,183 total births across its history.
The open, warm quality of its ending — a soft ending that crosses many language boundaries — keeps the name compact and easy to pair with longer middle names or surnames.
Niesha is not in the current top 1,000 girl names nationally, making it an uncommon choice — though your state or community may differ.
Niesha is a girl's baby name of African American origin, a variant of Nisha or Keisha, likely a creative coinage in the -isha/esha tradition of feminine names popular in the 1980s. It carries a soft, melodic quality.
EtymologyShow more
Though Niesha dates back to 1969 in U.S. records, its etymological path is not always straightforward. Names that predate modern naming databases sometimes resist easy classification — they may have been oral traditions, regional family names, or adaptations that were never systematically recorded. The African classification provides a starting point, but the full derivation likely involves more nuance than a single label can capture.
Niesha’s 2,183 recorded births provide enough of a footprint to establish it as a real, chosen name in American culture — not a typo or a one-off, but a deliberate selection by hundreds of families.
At a Glance
Popularity Over Time
Niesha has 44+ years of history in the U.S., first appearing in 1969.
Popularity by Decade
| Decade | Births | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 33 | ▼ |
| 2000s | 222 | ▼ |
| 1990s | 702 | ▼ |
| 1980s | 884 | ▲ |
| 1970s | 337 | ▲ |
| 1960s | 5 | — |
The Story of Niesha
A Millennial name
Peaking in 1991, Niesha is a Millennial-era classic. Girls named Niesha are most likely born between 1981 and 2001.
How rare is Niesha?
With 2,183 total births on record, Niesha remains a rare and distinctive pick.
The journey through the decades
First appeared in the records in 1969, peaked in the 1980s with 884 births that decade, and has since become a rare, vintage choice.
Niesha by the numbers
- Would fill 45 school buses
- Meeting one Niesha per day would take 6 years
Year-by-Year Data
View complete yearly data(44 years, 1969–2018)
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 6 | #15149 |
| 2012 | 7 | #14598 |
| 2011 | 7 | #14420 |
| 2010 | 13 | #9100 |
| 2009 | 16 | #7967 |
| 2008 | 13 | #9355 |
| 2007 | 17 | #7648 |
| 2006 | 29 | #4919 |
| 2005 | 19 | #6474 |
| 2004 | 22 | #5703 |
| 2003 | 23 | #5360 |
| 2002 | 26 | #4725 |
| 2001 | 22 | #5324 |
| 2000 | 35 | #3714 |
| 1999 | 35 | #3552 |
| 1998 | 38 | #3278 |
| 1997 | 38 | #3136 |
| 1996 | 67 | #2079 |
| 1995 | 34 | #3340 |
| 1994 | 59 | #2249 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration, 1969–2018