Kalisha
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "blossoming flower".
Name Census estimates that about 1,231 living Americans carry the first name Kalisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kalisha today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalisha births was 1978 (83 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalisha. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 278,436 Americans
Peak year
1978
83 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,241
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Kalisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalisha from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 422 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
Kalisha 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 Kalisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kalishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. New York, Louisiana, California recorded the most babies named Kalisha, while North Carolina, Florida, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kalisha
The name Kalisha is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The name is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Kalisha," which means "blissful" or "joyful."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kalisha can be found in ancient Indian texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, which date back to around 1500 BCE. In these texts, the name is often associated with divine beings or deities, reflecting its positive and auspicious connotations.
During the medieval period, the name Kalisha gained popularity among certain Hindu communities in India, particularly in regions where Sanskrit was widely spoken and revered. It was often given to female children in the hope that they would lead a life filled with happiness and contentment.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kalisha. One such person was Kalisha Devi, a renowned Indian poet and mystic who lived during the 16th century. Her works, which explored themes of spirituality and devotion, continue to be widely studied and appreciated to this day.
Another famous Kalisha was Kalisha Bai, a prominent Indian dancer and courtesan who lived in the late 18th century. She was renowned for her exceptional skills in the classical dance form of Kathak and was a celebrated figure in the royal courts of her time.
In more recent times, Kalisha Buckhanon, an American author and educator born in 1977, has gained recognition for her critically acclaimed novels, which explore themes of race, identity, and family dynamics.
Kalisha Naicker, born in 1988, is a South African athlete who has represented her country in various international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games and the African Games, where she has won multiple medals in the discipline of javelin throw.
Kalisha Halim, a Malaysian entrepreneur born in 1985, is the founder of a successful eco-friendly fashion brand that promotes sustainable and ethical practices in the fashion industry.
While the name Kalisha has maintained a presence throughout history, it has also evolved and been adapted in various cultural contexts, reflecting the rich diversity of human experiences and traditions.
People
Kalisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kalisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,231 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalisha 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 278,436 US residents.
Is Kalisha a common name?
We classify Kalisha as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,293 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalisha was 1978, when 83 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalisha is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kalisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalisha 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.