Arlisha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially meaning "promising" or "prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 258 living Americans carry the first name Arlisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Arlisha today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arlisha births was 1973 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arlisha. 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.
People living today
258
~ 1 in 1,328,505 Americans
Peak year
1973
16 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2004 SSA rank
#16,381
Tracked since 1965
Census
Arlisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 278 people with the first name Arlisha, which placed it at #31,017 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#31,017
National first-name rank
People counted
278
278 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
90.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arlisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arlisha is Black at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Arlisha described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Arlisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American90.6% · 252
- White3.2% · 9
- Two or more races2.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
Popularity
Arlisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arlisha from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 109 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arlisha 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 Arlisha 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 Arlisha
The name Arlisha is a variant of the name Alisha, which has its origins in Arabic. Alisha is derived from the Arabic word 'aliyah', meaning 'noble' or 'exalted'. The variant spelling Arlisha likely emerged through the influence of other languages and cultures over time.
In terms of historical references, the name Arlisha does not appear to have any significant mentions in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. Its origins can be traced back to the Arabic language, but its specific variant spelling seems to be a more recent development.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Arlisha are relatively modern and can be found in various records from the 20th century onwards. However, there are a few notable individuals who have borne this name throughout history.
One of the earliest known individuals named Arlisha was Arlisha Nelson, an American activist and community leader born in the late 19th century. She was involved in various civil rights and social justice movements in the early 20th century.
Another notable Arlisha was Arlisha Jones, a British author and journalist who lived in the mid-20th century. She wrote several books and articles on topics ranging from politics to cultural studies.
In the field of sports, Arlisha Brown was an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1980s and 1990s. She won several medals at international competitions and was known for her expertise in hurdles events.
Arlisha Whitten was an Australian artist and sculptor who gained recognition in the late 20th century for her unique and avant-garde works. Her sculptures were exhibited in various galleries and museums across Australia and internationally.
Lastly, Arlisha Khan was a Pakistani-American entrepreneur and business leader who founded a successful technology company in the early 21st century. She was widely recognized for her innovative approaches and contributions to the tech industry.
These are just a few examples of individuals named Arlisha who have made notable contributions in various fields throughout history. While the name itself may not have a long and well-documented history, it has been borne by accomplished individuals across different cultures and time periods.
People
Arlisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arlisha 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
Arlisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arlisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 258 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arlisha 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 1,328,505 US residents.
Is Arlisha a common name?
We classify Arlisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 276 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arlisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Arlisha was 1973, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arlisha is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Arlisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 278 people with the name Arlisha, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,017 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Arlisha in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Arlisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Arlisha appears almost entirely female. Of the 275 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Arlisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arlisha is Black at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Arlisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Arlisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (252 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Arlisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arlisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arlisha 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.
Is Arlisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arlisha in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Arlisha can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are named Arlisha?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.