Aresha
Of Sanskrit origin, a feminine name meaning "star" or "heaven".
Name Census estimates that about 30 living Americans carry the first name Aresha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Aresha today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aresha births was 1977 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aresha. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Aresha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
30
~ 1 in 11,425,145 Americans
Peak year
1977
6 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1996 SSA rank
#13,712
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Aresha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aresha from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Aresha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aresha by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aresha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aresha
The name Aresha is derived from the Sanskrit word "Arisha" which means "ray of light" or "ray of the sun." It is a name that has its roots in ancient Indian culture and has been in use for several centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Aresha can be traced back to the Hindu scriptures, particularly the Vedas and the Puranas, where it was often used to refer to the sun or the goddess of the sun. In these texts, the name was associated with radiance, warmth, and life-giving energy.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Aresha was Aresha Devi, a 16th-century queen of the Rajput Kingdom of Mewar in present-day Rajasthan, India. She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and courage, and played a crucial role in the defense of her kingdom against the Mughal Empire.
Another famous Aresha was Aresha Giri, a 17th-century Indian poet and scholar who wrote extensively on Hindu philosophy and theology. Her works were widely acclaimed and studied in academic circles of the time.
In the 18th century, Aresha Kumari, a distinguished poet and writer from the court of the Maratha Empire, gained recognition for her literary contributions. Her poetry celebrated the natural beauty of her homeland and explored themes of love, spirituality, and human emotions.
Moving into more recent times, Aresha Khan was a 19th-century Indian dancer and courtesan who became famous for her performances in the royal courts of North India. She was renowned for her grace, elegance, and mastery of classical Indian dance forms.
Lastly, Aresha Banu was a 20th-century Indian social activist and educator who dedicated her life to promoting women's education and empowerment. She established several schools and educational institutions for underprivileged girls and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Government of India for her contributions.
People
Aresha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aresha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aresha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aresha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 30 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aresha going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 11,425,145 US residents.
Is Aresha a common name?
We classify Aresha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 32 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aresha most popular?
The single biggest year for Aresha was 1977, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aresha is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Aresha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aresha in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.