Kwanisha
A feminine name of African origin signifying "She has completed."
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Kwanisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kwanisha today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kwanisha births was 1993 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kwanisha. 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 Kwanisha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
1993
12 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
1995 SSA rank
#14,656
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Kwanisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kwanisha from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 35 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kwanisha 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 Kwanisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kwanisha
The name Kwanisha has its origins in the Kiswahili language, spoken primarily in East Africa. It is believed to have emerged as a given name around the 18th century, derived from the Kiswahili word "kwanisha," which means "to spread out" or "to expand."
The earliest known reference to the name Kwanisha can be found in historical records from the coastal regions of present-day Tanzania and Kenya, where Kiswahili was widely spoken. It is possible that the name was initially used as a symbolic representation of growth, progress, and prosperity within these communities.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kwanisha was a renowned Swahili poet and scholar who lived in the late 18th century. Although her exact birth and death dates are unknown, her collection of poetic works, titled "Utamaduni wa Kwanisha" (The Culture of Kwanisha), has been preserved and studied by linguists and historians alike.
In the 19th century, a prominent Kenyan woman named Kwanisha Mshindi gained recognition for her advocacy for women's rights and education. Born in 1825, she established several schools for girls in the coastal town of Mombasa and actively campaigned against harmful cultural practices that disadvantaged women.
Another notable figure was Kwanisha Mwangi, a Kenyan freedom fighter who participated in the Mau Mau rebellion against British colonial rule in the 1950s. Mwangi, born in 1920, was instrumental in organizing and leading resistance efforts in her local community.
During the 20th century, the name Kwanisha gained popularity beyond East Africa, particularly in the United States and other parts of the African diaspora. One such individual was Kwanisha Jones, an American civil rights activist and author born in 1945. Jones wrote extensively about the experiences of African Americans and advocated for social justice and racial equality.
In more recent times, Kwanisha Ngwenya, a South African entrepreneur and philanthropist born in 1978, has gained recognition for her work in promoting economic empowerment and supporting underprivileged communities. Her initiatives have made a significant impact on the lives of many individuals across the African continent.
While the name Kwanisha has its roots in the Kiswahili language, it has transcended cultural boundaries and gained recognition globally, representing ideals of growth, progress, and resilience.
People
Kwanisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kwanisha 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
Kwanisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kwanisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kwanisha 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 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Kwanisha a common name?
We classify Kwanisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kwanisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Kwanisha was 1993, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kwanisha is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kwanisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kwanisha 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.