Lakeisha
From African-American origins, a modern invented name.
Name Census estimates that about 12,049 living Americans carry the first name Lakeisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lakeisha today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lakeisha births was 1979 (824 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lakeisha. 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
12K
~ 1 in 28,447 Americans
Peak year
1979
824 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1989 SSA rank
#5,965
Tracked since 1967
Gender
Gender distribution for Lakeisha
Out of the 12,884 babies given the name Lakeisha since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Lakeisha as a male name
- Ranked #5,965 in 1989
- 8 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1978 (9 births)
Lakeisha as a female name
- Ranked #12,825 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1979 (824 births)
Popularity
Lakeisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lakeisha from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 5,572 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lakeisha 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 Lakeisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lakeishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 30 states and territories. Texas, Louisiana, Georgia recorded the most babies named Lakeisha, while Delaware, Colorado, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 381 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lakeisha
The name Lakeisha is a relatively modern name that emerged in the late 20th century, primarily in the United States. It is considered an African-American name, likely originating from a blend of the names LaKisha and Keisha.
The name LaKisha is believed to have roots in the Yoruba language of West Africa, where it may have derived from the word "Olakisa," meaning "honored guest." Keisha, on the other hand, is a variant of the name Keisha, which has Arabic origins and means "one who walks with beauty and grace."
While the name Lakeisha does not have a long historical lineage, it gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s as part of a broader trend of creating unique and culturally significant names within the African-American community. The combination of the names LaKisha and Keisha likely aimed to create a distinct and empowering name for young African-American girls.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Lakeisha can be found in the 1980 U.S. Census data, where it appeared as a relatively uncommon name. However, its popularity grew rapidly in the following decades, with notable individuals bearing the name Lakeisha emerging across various fields.
One of the first well-known individuals with the name Lakeisha was Lakeisha Holloway, a former American track and field athlete who competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. Another notable figure is Lakeisha Trene, a former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Detroit Shock and the Indiana Fever.
In the entertainment industry, Lakeisha Vaughn is an American actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films. Lakeisha Pearson is a singer and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the R&B group Xscape in the 1990s.
Lakeisha Dail is a notable figure in the field of education, serving as a former principal and current school administrator in the Atlanta Public Schools system. She has been recognized for her efforts in improving educational outcomes for underprivileged communities.
While the name Lakeisha may not have an extensive historical background, it has become an established and meaningful name within the African-American community, reflecting cultural pride and a desire for unique and empowering monikers.
People
Lakeisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lakeisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lakeisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lakeisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12,049 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lakeisha 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 28,447 US residents.
Is Lakeisha a common name?
We classify Lakeisha as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12,884 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lakeisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Lakeisha was 1979, when 824 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lakeisha is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lakeisha a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Lakeisha 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.