Jalisha
A feminine name of West Indian origin meaning "with principle".
Name Census estimates that about 525 living Americans carry the first name Jalisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jalisha today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jalisha births was 1990 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jalisha. 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
525
~ 1 in 652,865 Americans
Peak year
1990
60 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2011 SSA rank
#11,576
Tracked since 1988
Census
Jalisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 462 people with the first name Jalisha, which placed it at #21,817 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
#21,817
National first-name rank
People counted
462
462 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
84.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jalisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jalisha is Black at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and White (4.8%). 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 Jalisha 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 Jalisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.0% · 388
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 24
- White4.8% · 22
- Two or more races3.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Jalisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jalisha from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 308 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
Jalisha 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 Jalisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jalishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina recorded the most babies named Jalisha, while Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jalisha
The name Jalisha is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots traced back to the Middle Eastern region. It is thought to be a combination of two Arabic words, "Jali" meaning "glorious" or "majestic," and "Sha" which can be translated as "light" or "radiance." This blend of meanings suggests that the name Jalisha carries a connotation of a glorious and radiant individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jalisha can be found in ancient Persian literature, where it was used to refer to a celebrated poetess and scholar from the 9th century. This poetess, known as Jalisha al-Farisi, was renowned for her contributions to the arts and her intellectual prowess, which aligns with the name's connotation of glory and radiance.
Throughout the centuries, the name Jalisha has been associated with various notable figures across different cultures and regions. In the 12th century, there was a Sufi mystic from Persia named Jalisha al-Din, who was highly regarded for his spiritual teachings and writings. His name, which translates to "the glorious one of the faith," further reinforces the name's connection to glory and eminence.
Moving forward in time, a prominent figure bearing the name Jalisha was Jalisha Begum, a 16th-century Mughal princess and the daughter of the renowned Emperor Akbar. Her name, which means "glorious lady," reflects the regal status and admiration she held within the Mughal dynasty.
Another notable individual with the name Jalisha was Jalisha Khan, a 17th-century Afghan military commander who gained recognition for his bravery and leadership during the Afghan-Mughal wars. His name, which can be interpreted as "the glorious warrior," aligns with his reputation as a formidable fighter and strategist.
In more recent times, the name Jalisha has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions. One such person was Jalisha Abdulrahman, a 20th-century Somali writer and activist who fought for women's rights and education. Her name, which signifies "the glorious one," reflects her dedication to empowering and uplifting her community.
While the name Jalisha has its roots in the Middle Eastern and Persian cultures, it has gained popularity across various regions and ethnicities, transcending its cultural boundaries. Throughout history, the name has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, reflecting the name's connotation of glory, radiance, and eminence.
People
Jalisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jalisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jalisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jalisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 525 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jalisha 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 652,865 US residents.
Is Jalisha a common name?
We classify Jalisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 542 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jalisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Jalisha was 1990, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jalisha 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 Jalisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 462 people with the name Jalisha, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,817 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 Jalisha 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 Jalisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jalisha appears almost entirely female. Of the 460 people counted with this name, 99.3% 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 Jalisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jalisha is Black at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and White (4.8%). 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 Jalisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jalisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (388 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 Jalisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jalisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jalisha 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 Jalisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jalisha 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 Jalisha 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 common is the name Jalisha?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.