Nyisha
A girl's name with 532 recorded U.S. births.
Meaning & Origin
Nyisha peaked during the Gen X years, when 32 babies received this name in a single year (1980). That era was defined by post-traditional, counterculture-influenced naming, and Nyisha has a more concentrated history, reflecting a specific cultural moment rather than a broad generational wave.
Nyisha is not in the current top 1,000 girl names nationally, making it an uncommon choice — though your state or community may differ.
Nyisha is a girl's baby name of African origin, a creative variant of Nisha or Aisha, with Nisha possibly deriving from the Sanskrit niśā meaning 'night' and Aisha from the Arabic meaning 'living.' The Ny- opening gives it a distinctive phonetic identity.
Nyisha belongs to the family of Ni- and Ny- prefix names popular in African American communities in the 1980s and 1990s, each one a small creative act of naming — taking familiar sounds and arranging them into something that felt both recognizable and genuinely new.
EtymologyShow more
Phonetically, Nyisha belongs to a cluster of names characterized by their open, warm ending — a soft ending that crosses many language boundaries. At two syllables, it has a two-beat rhythm that is easy to call across a room and natural in conversation.
Sound-alike names often cluster in style even when they come from different linguistic roots. The Similar Names section below uses letter and phonetic patterns to surface names in Nyisha’s sonic neighborhood.
At a Glance
Popularity Over Time
Nyisha has 32+ years of history in the U.S., first appearing in 1973.
Popularity by Decade
| Decade | Births | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 64 | ▼ |
| 1990s | 155 | ▼ |
| 1980s | 223 | ▲ |
| 1970s | 90 | — |
The Story of Nyisha
A Gen X name
Peaking in 1980, Nyisha is a Gen X staple. Girls named Nyisha are most likely born between 1973 and 1990.
How rare is Nyisha?
With 532 total births on record, Nyisha remains a rare and distinctive pick.
The journey through the decades
First appeared in the records in 1973, peaked in the 1980s with 223 births that decade, and has gracefully settled into a quieter chapter.
Nyisha by the numbers
- Would fill 11 school buses
- Meeting one Nyisha per day would take 1.5 years
Year-by-Year Data
View complete yearly data(32 years, 1973–2007)
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 11 | #10639 |
| 2006 | 6 | #16585 |
| 2004 | 10 | #10491 |
| 2002 | 14 | #7723 |
| 2001 | 10 | #9911 |
| 2000 | 13 | #7918 |
| 1999 | 6 | #13952 |
| 1998 | 14 | #6989 |
| 1997 | 13 | #7169 |
| 1996 | 15 | #6295 |
| 1995 | 14 | #6519 |
| 1994 | 11 | #7991 |
| 1993 | 19 | #5137 |
| 1992 | 23 | #4483 |
| 1991 | 19 | #5128 |
| 1990 | 21 | #4643 |
| 1989 | 20 | #4624 |
| 1988 | 15 | #5516 |
| 1987 | 11 | #6643 |
| 1986 | 20 | #4148 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nyisha a boy's or girl's name?
When was Nyisha most popular?
How popular is the name Nyisha?
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration, 1973–2007