Kanesha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Kanika meaning "flower" in Sanskrit.
Name Census estimates that about 1,675 living Americans carry the first name Kanesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kanesha today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kanesha births was 1990 (198 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kanesha. 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
1.7K
~ 1 in 204,629 Americans
Peak year
1990
198 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2012 SSA rank
#14,216
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Kanesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kanesha from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 953 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
Kanesha 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 Kanesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaneshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. Texas, Illinois, Georgia recorded the most babies named Kanesha, while Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kanesha
The name Kanesha has its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is derived from the word "Kanishtha," which means "the youngest" or "the smallest." This name was initially given to the youngest child in a family, particularly the youngest daughter.
In Hindu mythology, Kanesha is also the name of a minor goddess associated with fertility and childbirth. She is often depicted as a beautiful young woman carrying a newborn child, symbolizing the blessings of motherhood.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kanesha can be found in ancient Sanskrit texts, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. These texts mention the name in reference to both mythological figures and real individuals.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Kanesha was a princess from the Gupta Empire, which ruled over parts of modern-day India and Pakistan between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. Princess Kanesha was renowned for her beauty and intelligence, and her name was celebrated in court poetry and literature of the time.
During the medieval period, the name Kanesha became popular among the Hindu communities of South Asia. Notable individuals with this name include Kanesha Devi, a 12th-century queen of the Chahamana dynasty, who was known for her patronage of the arts and architecture.
In the 16th century, Kanesha Rani was a powerful female ruler of the Rajput kingdom of Mewar in present-day Rajasthan, India. She is remembered for her bravery and leadership during the siege of Chittorgarh Fort by the Mughal forces.
Another significant figure with the name Kanesha was a 17th-century Indian poet and scholar from the region of Bengal. Kanesha Thakur was renowned for her beautiful and evocative poetry, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition.
In more recent times, the name Kanesha has been used across various cultures and communities, though its origins can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit language and Hindu traditions of India.
People
Kanesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kanesha 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
Kanesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kanesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,675 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kanesha 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 204,629 US residents.
Is Kanesha a common name?
We classify Kanesha as "Rare". It ranks above 92.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,752 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kanesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Kanesha was 1990, when 198 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kanesha is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kanesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kanesha 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.