Dalesha
A feminine name derived from Dale, of English origin meaning "valley dweller".
Name Census estimates that about 61 living Americans carry the first name Dalesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dalesha today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dalesha births was 1993 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dalesha. 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 Dalesha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
61
~ 1 in 5,618,924 Americans
Peak year
1993
12 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2008 SSA rank
#18,172
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Dalesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dalesha 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 52 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
Dalesha 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 Dalesha 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 Dalesha
The name Dalesha is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the late 20th century. Its precise etymology is unclear, but it appears to be a combination of elements from various languages and cultures.
One possibility is that it derives from the Sanskrit word "dala," meaning "branch" or "twig," combined with the Arabic female name "Leila" or "Layla." This blending of Sanskrit and Arabic roots could suggest a fusion of South Asian and Middle Eastern influences.
Another theory traces Dalesha to the Swahili language spoken in parts of East Africa. In Swahili, the prefix "da-" is a diminutive form, while the root "lesh" may be related to the word "lesa," meaning "to play" or "to joke." If this is the case, Dalesha could potentially signify something along the lines of "little playful one."
Unfortunately, there are no recorded instances of the name Dalesha appearing in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the modern era. The earliest known examples of the name seem to date back to the late 20th century, likely emerging as a creative combination of sounds and cultural influences.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Dalesha is Dalesha Dickson, an American basketball player born in 1995. She played for the University of South Carolina and was a member of the Gamecocks' 2017 NCAA championship team.
Another individual named Dalesha is Dalesha Shumway, a singer and songwriter from Utah, United States. She gained recognition for her performances on the television show "American Idol" in 2015.
In the field of literature, there is a character named Dalesha in the novel "The Bone People" by Keri Hulme, which won the Booker Prize in 1985. Dalesha is a young Maori girl in the story.
Dalesha Faulk is an American artist and illustrator known for her vibrant and whimsical works, often featuring themes of self-love and empowerment.
Lastly, Dalesha Moore is a British actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films, including the 2016 movie "The Girl with All the Gifts."
While the name Dalesha may be relatively new and its origins somewhat ambiguous, it has gained some notable bearers in recent decades, spanning fields such as sports, entertainment, literature, and the arts.
People
Dalesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dalesha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dalesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dalesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 61 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dalesha 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 5,618,924 US residents.
Is Dalesha a common name?
We classify Dalesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 63 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dalesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Dalesha was 1993, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dalesha is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Dalesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dalesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dalesha 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 Dalesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dalesha 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 Dalesha 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Dalesha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.