Cornesha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of "Cornelia" and a variant suffix.
Name Census estimates that about 204 living Americans carry the first name Cornesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cornesha today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cornesha births was 1996 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cornesha. 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
204
~ 1 in 1,680,168 Americans
Peak year
1996
19 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2007 SSA rank
#15,937
Tracked since 1985
Census
Cornesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 171 people with the first name Cornesha, which placed it at #42,203 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
#42,203
National first-name rank
People counted
171
171 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cornesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cornesha is Black at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Cornesha 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 Cornesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.6% · 160
- White4.1% · 7
- Two or more races1.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
Popularity
Cornesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cornesha from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 150 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
Cornesha 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 Cornesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Corneshas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cornesha
The name Cornesha is believed to have its origins in the African continent, tracing back to the Yoruba people of present-day Nigeria and Benin. It is a combination of two words from the Yoruba language – "ọkọ̀" meaning "husband" and "ẹṣịn" meaning "worship" or "praise." Thus, the name Cornesha can be interpreted as "one who praises her husband" or "wife who worships her husband."
This name gained popularity during the early 20th century, particularly among African-American communities in the United States. It was a reflection of the cultural pride and celebration of African heritage that emerged during the Harlem Renaissance, a movement that fostered artistic expression and intellectual discourse within the Black community.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Cornesha can be found in the 1920s. Cornesha Jones (1905-1987) was an influential jazz singer and actress who performed in various Harlem nightclubs during the Harlem Renaissance era. Her soulful vocals and captivating stage presence made her a beloved figure in the vibrant jazz scene of that time.
Another notable figure was Cornesha Washington (1918-2002), a pioneering civil rights activist and educator. She was a member of the NAACP and played a pivotal role in desegregating schools in the southern United States. Her unwavering commitment to equality and justice left a lasting impact on the fight for civil rights.
In the realm of literature, Cornesha Browne (1926-2015) was a celebrated poet and author. Her works explored themes of identity, struggle, and resilience, capturing the experiences of African Americans with poignant lyricism. Her poetry collection, "Echoes of a Distant Drum," received critical acclaim and is considered a significant contribution to the literary canon.
Cornesha Mbaye (1932-2018) was a prominent diplomat and politician from Senegal. She served as her country's ambassador to several nations and was a vocal advocate for women's rights and gender equality. Her career spanned decades, and she was widely respected for her diplomatic skills and unwavering commitment to social justice.
Another individual worth mentioning is Cornesha Kimberly (1945-2010), a pioneering businesswoman and entrepreneur. She founded one of the first African-American-owned cosmetics companies, which catered to the unique needs of women of color. Her entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to empowering others through her products left a lasting impact on the beauty industry.
While the name Cornesha may not be as commonly used today as it once was, it remains a powerful reminder of the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the African diaspora. Its meaning, rooted in the concept of honoring and praising one's spouse, carries a sense of respect and appreciation for the bonds of marriage and family.
People
Cornesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cornesha 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
Cornesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cornesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 204 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cornesha 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 1,680,168 US residents.
Is Cornesha a common name?
We classify Cornesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 211 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cornesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Cornesha was 1996, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cornesha is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cornesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 171 people with the name Cornesha, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,203 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 Cornesha 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 Cornesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cornesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 173 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 Cornesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cornesha is Black at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Cornesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Cornesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (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 Cornesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cornesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cornesha 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 Cornesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cornesha 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 Cornesha 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 Cornesha?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Cornesha, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.