Johnisha
A feminine name of American origin, a combination of "John" and a feminine suffix.
Name Census estimates that about 446 living Americans carry the first name Johnisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Johnisha today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johnisha births was 1993 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johnisha. 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
446
~ 1 in 768,507 Americans
Peak year
1993
43 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2006 SSA rank
#11,883
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Johnisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Johnisha 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 264 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
Johnisha 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 Johnisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Johnishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Florida, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Johnisha, while North Carolina, Louisiana, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Johnisha
The name Johnisha is a modern creation that appears to have originated in the United States during the 20th century. It is a combination of the more common names John and Nisha, blending elements from both English and Sanskrit.
The first part of the name, "John," has its roots in the ancient Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." This name was later Anglicized to John and became incredibly popular throughout the Christian world. The second part, "Nisha," is derived from the Sanskrit word "Nisha," meaning "night" or "darkness."
While there are no known historical references or ancient texts mentioning the name Johnisha specifically, its components have rich linguistic and cultural histories. The name John has biblical significance and has been borne by many notable figures throughout history, including John the Baptist and various popes and saints.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Johnisha are relatively recent, likely emerging in the late 20th century as a unique combination of cultural influences. Here are five notable individuals who have carried the name Johnisha:
1. Johnisha Levi, an American professional basketball player born in 1991, who played for teams in the WNBA and overseas.
2. Johnisha Renee Simms, an American former professional basketball player born in 1984, who played in the WNBA and overseas.
3. Johnisha Gale, an American professional basketball player born in 1989, who played in the WNBA and overseas.
4. Johnisha Washington, an American television writer and producer known for her work on shows like "Insecure" and "Abbott Elementary."
5. Johnisha Jefferies, an American former professional basketball player born in 1984, who played in the WNBA and overseas.
While the name Johnisha is a modern creation, its components have rich linguistic and cultural histories, blending elements from English and Sanskrit. Despite its recent origins, it has been borne by several notable individuals, particularly in the world of professional basketball.
People
Johnisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johnisha 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
Johnisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johnisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 446 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johnisha 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 768,507 US residents.
Is Johnisha a common name?
We classify Johnisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 464 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Johnisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Johnisha was 1993, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johnisha is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Johnisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Johnisha 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.
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.