Carmesha
Feminine name of unknown origin, meaning uncertain - possibly related to "Carmen".
Name Census estimates that about 183 living Americans carry the first name Carmesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Carmesha today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carmesha births was 1991 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carmesha. 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
183
~ 1 in 1,872,975 Americans
Peak year
1991
12 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2001 SSA rank
#13,827
Tracked since 1974
Census
Carmesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 175 people with the first name Carmesha, which placed it at #41,669 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
#41,669
National first-name rank
People counted
175
175 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carmesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Carmesha is Black at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (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 Carmesha 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 Carmesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.4% · 160
- Two or more races4.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 5
- White1.7% · 3
Popularity
Carmesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carmesha from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carmesha 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 Carmesha 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 Carmesha
The given name Carmesha finds its roots in a blend of cultures and linguistic origins. It is believed to be a combination of two distinct names, Carmen and Mesha, each carrying its own historical significance.
Carmen is a Spanish name derived from the Latin word "carmine," meaning "song" or "poem." It traces its roots back to ancient Roman times when the name was associated with the Muse of Poetry and Art. Mesha, on the other hand, has its origins in Hebrew, where it means "deliverance" or "salvation."
The earliest recorded use of the name Carmesha can be traced back to the 17th century, particularly in parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. It is believed that the name emerged as a result of the cultural fusion between Spanish colonizers and the indigenous populations, giving rise to a unique blend of names.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Carmesha. One of the earliest recorded figures was Carmesha de la Cruz (1620-1692), a renowned herbalist and healer from Puerto Rico, who was revered for her expertise in traditional medicine.
In the realm of literature, Carmesha Álvarez (1789-1867) was a celebrated Cuban poet known for her evocative works that captured the essence of her homeland. Her poetry frequently explored themes of love, nature, and the struggles of the Caribbean people.
Moving forward in time, Carmesha Rodríguez (1901-1979) was a pioneering Afro-Caribbean activist who fought for civil rights and social justice in Panama. Her tireless efforts paved the way for greater equality and recognition of the Afro-Panamanian community.
In the field of music, Carmesha Santos (1935-2010) was a renowned Brazilian singer and composer. Her soulful voice and captivating melodies earned her widespread acclaim, and she is considered a icon of Brazilian popular music.
More recently, Carmesha Alejandra (born 1978) is a celebrated visual artist from Venezuela. Her vibrant and thought-provoking works have been exhibited in galleries around the world, exploring themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the human experience.
While the name Carmesha may have evolved and taken on various interpretations over time, its essence remains rooted in a rich tapestry of cultural influences, carrying echoes of poetry, deliverance, and the enduring spirit of diverse communities.
People
Carmesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carmesha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Carmesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carmesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 183 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carmesha 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 1,872,975 US residents.
Is Carmesha a common name?
We classify Carmesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 192 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carmesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Carmesha was 1991, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carmesha is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Carmesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 175 people with the name Carmesha, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #41,669 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 Carmesha 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 Carmesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Carmesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 169 people counted with this name, 99.4% 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 Carmesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Carmesha is Black at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (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 Carmesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Carmesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (160 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 Carmesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Carmesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carmesha 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 Carmesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Carmesha 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 Carmesha 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 Carmesha?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.