Kiisha
A feminine given name of Arabic origin meaning "rich".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Kiisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kiisha today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kiisha births was 1972 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kiisha. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kiisha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1972
7 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1976 SSA rank
#8,638
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Kiisha: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kiisha 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 Kiisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 13 | 13 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kiisha
The name Kiisha is believed to have its origins in the Swahili language, spoken primarily in East Africa. The name is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "Qais," which means "leader" or "victor." It is possible that the name was introduced to the region during the spread of Islam in the 7th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kiisha can be found in the 14th century, when a Swahili princess named Kiisha was mentioned in historical records from the Kilwa Sultanate, a medieval Islamic trading empire located along the coast of present-day Tanzania.
In the 16th century, a Swahili noblewoman named Kiisha was renowned for her poetry and literary works. Her writings were influential in shaping the cultural and literary traditions of the region.
During the 19th century, a prominent Swahili trader and explorer named Kiisha ibn Rashid al-Mazrui was known for his extensive travels throughout East Africa and his contributions to the expansion of trade routes.
In the early 20th century, Kiisha Nanjira was a respected elder and community leader among the Giriama people of coastal Kenya. She was recognized for her wisdom and her efforts in preserving the traditional practices and oral histories of her tribe.
Another notable figure with the name Kiisha was Kiisha Nasibu, a Tanzanian activist and advocate for women's rights in the mid-20th century. She worked tirelessly to promote gender equality and empower women in her community.
While the name Kiisha may have origins rooted in the Swahili culture and language, it has since gained popularity and recognition across various regions and ethnicities, with individuals from diverse backgrounds embracing the name and its rich cultural heritage.
People
Kiisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kiisha 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
Kiisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kiisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kiisha 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Kiisha a common name?
We classify Kiisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kiisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Kiisha was 1972, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kiisha is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kiisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kiisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kiisha 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.
Is Kiisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kiisha in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kiisha can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Kiisha?
Want to know how many people share the name Kiisha? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.