Kenesha
A feminine name of Native American origin meaning "she has everything".
Name Census estimates that about 939 living Americans carry the first name Kenesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kenesha today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kenesha births was 1990 (82 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kenesha. 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
939
~ 1 in 365,021 Americans
Peak year
1990
82 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2006 SSA rank
#14,357
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Kenesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kenesha 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 442 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
Kenesha 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 Kenesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Keneshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Illinois, Florida, California recorded the most babies named Kenesha, while Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kenesha
The name Kenesha is a relatively modern name that appears to have originated in the United States in the late 20th century. Its origins are not entirely clear, but it is likely a variation or combination of more traditional names from different cultures and languages.
One possible origin could be a blend of the English name "Keisha" and the Hebrew name "Neshama," meaning "soul." This would suggest a mix of African-American and Jewish influences in the creation of this name. However, this is speculative and not definitively confirmed.
Another theory is that Kenesha is derived from the Native American Algonquian language, where "kene" or "keneh" could refer to a type of plant or reed. In this case, the name may have been created to evoke a connection with nature or indigenous cultures.
Historically, there are no known recorded instances of the name Kenesha in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or early historical records. It seems to be a relatively modern invention, likely emerging in the latter half of the 20th century.
While the name is not particularly common, there are a few notable individuals who have borne the name Kenesha throughout history. One example is Kenesha Harden, an American basketball player who competed in college and professionally in the early 2000s.
Another individual with this first name is Kenesha Underwood, an American author and playwright who has written several works exploring themes of race, identity, and family dynamics.
Kenesha Pratt is a former professional football player from the United States who played as a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Kenesha Travis is an American singer and songwriter who has released several albums in the gospel and contemporary Christian music genres since the early 2000s.
Kenesha Williams is a Canadian actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films over the past decade, particularly in the science fiction and fantasy genres.
It's important to note that while these individuals share the first name Kenesha, the name itself remains relatively uncommon and its origins and meanings are still somewhat ambiguous.
People
Kenesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kenesha 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
Kenesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kenesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 939 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kenesha 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 365,021 US residents.
Is Kenesha a common name?
We classify Kenesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 986 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kenesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Kenesha was 1990, when 82 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kenesha is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kenesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kenesha 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.