Kyiesha
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "like a ray of sun".
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the first name Kyiesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kyiesha today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kyiesha births was 1990 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kyiesha. 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
140
~ 1 in 2,448,245 Americans
Peak year
1990
19 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2008 SSA rank
#19,157
Tracked since 1982
Census
Kyiesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 140 people with the first name Kyiesha, which placed it at #47,034 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#47,034
National first-name rank
People counted
140
140 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kyiesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyiesha is Black at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kyiesha described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kyiesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.4% · 114
- Two or more races9.3% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 6
- White2.1% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 2
Popularity
Kyiesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kyiesha from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 99 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
Kyiesha 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 Kyiesha 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 Kyiesha
The name Kyiesha appears to be a modern, invented name with no clear historical origins or etymological roots. It does not seem to be derived from any particular language, culture, or region, but rather appears to be a creative combination of sounds and letters.
While the name Kyiesha itself does not have a documented historical background, it may have been inspired by or influenced by other names from various cultures and languages. The combination of the letters "Ky" could potentially be influenced by names of Celtic or Gaelic origin, while the "-iesha" ending may have roots in Arabic, Hebrew, or other Middle Eastern languages.
However, without a clear historical record or documented usage in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records, it is difficult to establish a definitive origin or meaning for the name Kyiesha. It appears to be a relatively modern invention, likely created in recent decades as a unique and distinctive name.
In terms of famous individuals with the name Kyiesha, there are no well-known historical figures or notable people from the past who bore this name. As it is a relatively new and uncommon name, records of its usage and popularity are limited to modern times.
It is worth noting that while the name Kyiesha may not have a rich historical background, it does not diminish its significance or meaning for those who bear it. Names, whether ancient or modern, can hold personal and cultural significance for individuals and families, regardless of their origins.
People
Kyiesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kyiesha 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
Kyiesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kyiesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 140 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kyiesha 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 2,448,245 US residents.
Is Kyiesha a common name?
We classify Kyiesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 146 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kyiesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Kyiesha was 1990, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kyiesha is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kyiesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 140 people with the name Kyiesha, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,034 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kyiesha in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kyiesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kyiesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 137 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kyiesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyiesha is Black at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kyiesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kyiesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (114 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kyiesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kyiesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kyiesha 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 Kyiesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kyiesha 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 Kyiesha 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.
How many people have Kyiesha as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.