The name Keshia is derived from the Irish Gaelic name Caiside, which itself has roots in the Old Irish name Cásshíd. The name Cásshíd is believed to have originated from the Latin name Cassius, which was a Roman family name derived from the word "caesius," meaning "grey-eyed" or "bluish-grey."

The earliest recorded use of the name Keshia can be traced back to the late 19th century, when it began appearing in birth records in parts of Ireland and Scotland. It is thought that the name Keshia emerged as an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Caiside, which was itself a variation of the older name Cásshíd.

One of the earliest known individuals with the name Keshia was Keshia O'Donnell, an Irish woman born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1876. Another notable early bearer of the name was Keshia MacKenzie, a Scottish woman born in the Highlands in 1892.

In the early 20th century, the name Keshia gained some popularity among Irish and Scottish immigrants to the United States. One of the earliest recorded Americans with the name was Keshia Doherty, born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1904.

Throughout the 20th century, the name Keshia continued to be used by individuals of Irish and Scottish descent, although it remained relatively uncommon. Some notable bearers of the name include Keshia Mullen, an Irish-American actress born in New York City in 1932, and Keshia McLeod, a Scottish author and poet born in Glasgow in 1946.

While the name Keshia has its origins in Ireland and Scotland, it has also been adopted by individuals of various cultural backgrounds, particularly in the United States and Canada. One of the most famous individuals with the name Keshia is American actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, best known for her role as Rudy Huxtable on the sitcom The Cosby Show. Pulliam was born in 1979 in Newark, New Jersey.