Jonisha
A unique feminine name possibly blending origins of John and Nisha.
Name Census estimates that about 420 living Americans carry the first name Jonisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jonisha today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jonisha births was 1993 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jonisha. 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
420
~ 1 in 816,082 Americans
Peak year
1993
36 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2008 SSA rank
#14,525
Tracked since 1975
Census
Jonisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 335 people with the first name Jonisha, which placed it at #27,353 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
#27,353
National first-name rank
People counted
335
335 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
88.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jonisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jonisha is Black at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Jonisha 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 Jonisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.4% · 296
- Two or more races4.2% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 6
- White1.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Jonisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jonisha 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 234 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Jonisha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jonisha 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 Jonisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jonishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Florida, California, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Jonisha, while Louisiana, California, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jonisha
The name Jonisha originates from the Sanskrit language, with its roots traced back to ancient India. Derived from the Sanskrit words "jyoti," meaning light or radiance, and "nisha," meaning night or darkness, the name Jonisha carries the symbolic meaning of "light in the night" or "the radiant one."
This name gained popularity during the medieval period in certain regions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly among Hindu communities. It was often bestowed upon female children with the belief that they would bring light and joy to their families, dispelling the darkness of ignorance and sorrow.
Jonisha, or variations of the name, can be found in some ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, although its specific mentions are relatively scarce. One notable reference is in the Puranas, a collection of ancient Hindu stories and legends, where a character bearing a similar name is described as a wise and virtuous woman.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jonisha can be traced back to the 11th century CE, with records showing it being used by families in certain parts of present-day India and Nepal. Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne this name, though their fame and accomplishments may have been limited to their respective regions and time periods.
One such individual was Jonisha Devi, a renowned poet and scholar from the 15th century, who hailed from the northern region of India. Her works, though not widely known today, were revered for their elegant verse and profound insights into various philosophical and spiritual themes.
Another notable figure was Jonisha Kumari, a 16th-century warrior princess from a small kingdom in central India. Her courage and leadership in battle are celebrated in local folklore, where she is depicted as a fierce protector of her people and a symbol of strength and resilience.
In the 18th century, Jonisha Bai, a talented classical dancer and music composer, gained recognition for her contributions to the performing arts. Her compositions and choreographies were praised for their grace and artistic expression, and she is remembered as a pioneer in her field.
Moving forward in time, Jonisha Chakraborty, born in 1879, was an influential educator and social reformer from Bengal. She dedicated her life to promoting women's education and advocating for gender equality, paving the way for future generations of women to pursue their aspirations.
Finally, Jonisha Sharma, born in 1920, was a renowned archaeologist whose work focused on uncovering and preserving the rich cultural heritage of ancient India. Her groundbreaking discoveries and meticulous research shed light on the lives and traditions of civilizations long forgotten, earning her widespread acclaim in academic circles.
People
Jonisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jonisha 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
Jonisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jonisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 420 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jonisha 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 816,082 US residents.
Is Jonisha a common name?
We classify Jonisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 437 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jonisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Jonisha was 1993, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jonisha 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 Jonisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 335 people with the name Jonisha, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,353 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 Jonisha 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 Jonisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jonisha appears almost entirely female. Of the 340 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Jonisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jonisha is Black at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Jonisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jonisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (296 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 Jonisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jonisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jonisha 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 Jonisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jonisha 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 Jonisha 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 have the name Jonisha?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.