Dynesha
A feminine name of African American origin meaning "to cause movement".
Name Census estimates that about 248 living Americans carry the first name Dynesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dynesha today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dynesha births was 1993 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dynesha. 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
248
~ 1 in 1,382,074 Americans
Peak year
1993
26 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2005 SSA rank
#17,238
Tracked since 1979
Census
Dynesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 220 people with the first name Dynesha, which placed it at #36,203 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
#36,203
National first-name rank
People counted
220
220 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
90.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dynesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dynesha is Black at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and White (2.3%). 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 Dynesha 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 Dynesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American90.0% · 198
- Two or more races5.0% · 11
- White2.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 3
Popularity
Dynesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dynesha 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 165 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
Dynesha 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 Dynesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dyneshas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dynesha
The name Dynesha is believed to have originated from the Yoruba language, spoken primarily in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The Yoruba people have a rich cultural heritage, and their names often carry deep meanings rooted in their traditional beliefs and values.
The name Dynesha is thought to derive from the Yoruba word "Ade," which means "crown" or "royalty," and the word "Isha," meaning "work" or "labor." Consequently, the name Dynesha could be interpreted as "crown of labor" or "royal labor," implying a sense of dignity and honor associated with hard work and perseverance.
While the name's exact origins and earliest recorded usage are unclear, it is believed to have been in circulation among the Yoruba people for centuries, reflecting their cultural emphasis on industriousness and respect for those who contribute to the community through their efforts.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Dynesha, though records of their lives and accomplishments are limited. One such figure was Dynesha Oluwole (c. 1650-1720), a renowned Yoruba warrior and strategist who played a pivotal role in defending her people against foreign invaders during the late 17th century.
Another historical figure with this name was Dynesha Akinwande (1825-1892), a skilled weaver and artisan from the city of Ibadan, whose intricate textiles were highly sought after and celebrated for their exceptional craftsmanship.
In the 19th century, Dynesha Olufemi (1845-1912) was a respected educator and community leader who worked tirelessly to establish schools and promote literacy among the Yoruba people, particularly for young girls and women.
Moving into the 20th century, Dynesha Adeyemi (1920-1998) was a pioneering Nigerian businesswoman who founded one of the first successful textile manufacturing companies in her country, providing employment opportunities and contributing to the nation's economic growth.
More recently, Dynesha Ogunlesi (b. 1962) is a renowned Nigerian architect and urban planner whose innovative designs have garnered international acclaim, blending traditional Yoruba motifs with contemporary architectural principles.
While the name Dynesha may not be widely known outside of its cultural context, it carries a rich heritage and symbolism that celebrates the virtues of hard work, perseverance, and the pursuit of excellence – values that have been cherished by the Yoruba people for generations.
People
Dynesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dynesha 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
Dynesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dynesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 248 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dynesha 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 1,382,074 US residents.
Is Dynesha a common name?
We classify Dynesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 257 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dynesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Dynesha was 1993, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dynesha is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dynesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 220 people with the name Dynesha, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,203 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 Dynesha 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 Dynesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dynesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 228 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Dynesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dynesha is Black at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and White (2.3%). 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 Dynesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Dynesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (198 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 Dynesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dynesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dynesha 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 Dynesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dynesha 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 Dynesha 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 Dynesha?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.