Kasha
A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "porridge".
Name Census estimates that about 1,435 living Americans carry the first name Kasha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kasha today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kasha births was 1990 (86 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kasha. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 238,853 Americans
Peak year
1990
86 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,389
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Kasha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kasha from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 471 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
Kasha 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 Kasha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kashas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Kasha, while Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kasha
The name Kasha is of Slavic origin, derived from the Russian and Ukrainian word "kasha," meaning "porridge" or "gruel." This name likely emerged in the Early Middle Ages, around the 6th to 7th century, when Slavic languages were developing and spreading across Eastern Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kasha can be found in the Primary Chronicle, an early East Slavic chronicle dating back to the 12th century. This historical document mentions a woman named Kasha, who was the daughter of a prominent Kievan nobleman.
Interestingly, the name Kasha also has a connection to religious figures. In the 14th century, there was a Russian Orthodox saint known as Kasha of Murom, who lived in the city of Murom and was renowned for her charitable works and miracles.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kasha. One such figure was Kasha Deyanova (1887-1942), a Bulgarian revolutionary and feminist who fought for women's rights and played a significant role in the country's liberation from Ottoman rule.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Kasha Ignatova (1899-1977), a Bulgarian actress and theater director who was influential in the development of modern Bulgarian theater. She is considered one of the country's most celebrated actresses of the 20th century.
In the realm of literature, Kasha Salkind (1920-2008) was a notable American writer and screenwriter. She penned several novels and screenplays, including the screenplay for the 1967 film "The Night They Raided Minsky's."
Moving to the field of sports, Kasha Varnishkina (born 1986) is a Russian professional basketball player who has represented her country in international competitions and won multiple championships with various Russian and European clubs.
Lastly, Kasha Galitskaya (born 1977) is a contemporary Russian artist and sculptor known for her unique and thought-provoking installations and sculptures, which often explore themes of identity, memory, and societal issues.
People
Kasha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kasha 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
Kasha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kasha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,435 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kasha 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 238,853 US residents.
Is Kasha a common name?
We classify Kasha as "Rare". It ranks above 92.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,518 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kasha most popular?
The single biggest year for Kasha was 1990, when 86 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kasha is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kasha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kasha 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.