Iyesha
An African American name of Arabic origin meaning "life-giver".
Name Census estimates that about 256 living Americans carry the first name Iyesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Iyesha today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Iyesha births was 1991 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Iyesha. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Iyesha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
256
~ 1 in 1,338,884 Americans
Peak year
1991
20 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2013 SSA rank
#17,622
Tracked since 1974
Census
Iyesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 238 people with the first name Iyesha, which placed it at #34,342 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
#34,342
National first-name rank
People counted
238
238 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
71.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Iyesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Iyesha is Black at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (9.7%). 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 Iyesha 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 Iyesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.4% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 25
- Two or more races9.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 9
- White3.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 3
Popularity
Iyesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Iyesha from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 104 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
Iyesha 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 Iyesha 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 Iyesha
The name Iyesha is believed to have its origins in the Yoruba language, spoken primarily in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. It is a feminine name that is thought to derive from the Yoruba word "Iye," meaning mother or source.
In Yoruba culture, names often hold deep significance and are carefully chosen to reflect the circumstances surrounding a child's birth, the parents' hopes and aspirations, or to honor a family member or deity. The name Iyesha may have been given to a child born after a long period of waiting or struggle, celebrating the mother's perseverance and the child's arrival as a source of joy.
While the exact origins of the name Iyesha are unclear, it is believed to have been in use among the Yoruba people for centuries. Some historical records suggest that variations of the name, such as Iyesha or Iyesa, were documented in Yoruba communities as early as the 16th century.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Iyesha can be found in the writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba linguist and the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria. In his works from the mid-19th century, Crowther documented various Yoruba names, including Iyesha, providing insights into their meanings and cultural significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Iyesha. One example is Iyesha Oyo (c. 1560-1620), a Yoruba princess and warrior who played a significant role in the defense of the Oyo Empire against rival kingdoms. Another notable figure is Iyesha Adedoyin (1870-1935), a Yoruba educator and women's rights advocate who established one of the first schools for girls in Nigeria.
Other notable individuals with the name Iyesha include Iyesha Mercy (1920-2005), a Yoruba artist and sculptor known for her intricate wood carvings; Iyesha Olufemi (1945-2018), a Yoruba writer and poet whose works explored themes of identity and culture; and Iyesha Adebayo (born 1985), a contemporary Nigerian fashion designer and entrepreneur.
While the name Iyesha has its roots in Yoruba culture, it has gained popularity across various regions and communities, transcending its cultural boundaries. Its meaning and historical significance continue to resonate with those who appreciate the richness of African names and their connections to cultural traditions.
People
Iyesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Iyesha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Iyesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Iyesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 256 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Iyesha 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 1,338,884 US residents.
Is Iyesha a common name?
We classify Iyesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 269 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Iyesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Iyesha was 1991, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Iyesha 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 Iyesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 238 people with the name Iyesha, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,342 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 Iyesha 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 Iyesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Iyesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 240 people counted with this name, 99.2% 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 Iyesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Iyesha is Black at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (9.7%). 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 Iyesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Iyesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.4% (170 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 Iyesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Iyesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Iyesha 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 Iyesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Iyesha 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 Iyesha 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 called Iyesha?
You can see how many people share the name Iyesha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.