Laresha
Uncommon feminine name possibly of African-American origin, meaning unknown.
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the first name Laresha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Laresha today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Laresha births was 1990 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Laresha. 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
237
~ 1 in 1,446,221 Americans
Peak year
1990
17 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2000 SSA rank
#14,165
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Laresha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Laresha from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 107 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
Laresha 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 Laresha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lareshas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Laresha
The name Laresha is believed to have originated from the African American community in the United States during the 20th century. It is a unique and creative name that does not seem to have direct roots in any specific language or culture.
One theory suggests that Laresha may have been derived from the combination of the names LaResa and Tasha or Latasha. LaResa is a name of African American origin, while Tasha and Latasha are diminutive forms of the Russian name Natalya.
Another possibility is that Laresha was created by blending the names Laura and Resha, although the origin of Resha itself is unclear. It could be a variation of the Hebrew name Risha, meaning "female leader" or "chief."
While there are no known historical references or ancient texts mentioning the name Laresha, it gained popularity in the United States during the latter half of the 20th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Laresha Stevenson, an American basketball player who played for the University of Arkansas from 1983 to 1987.
Another notable individual with the name Laresha is Laresha Walker, an American author and motivational speaker. She published her memoir, "The Hustle Is Real: A Life of Sex, Crime, and Redemption," in 2018, which details her journey from a life of crime to personal growth and redemption.
Laresha Goudelocked is a former American basketball player who played for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 2005 to 2009. During her college career, she set several school records and was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2009.
Laresha Dunn is a former American track and field athlete who competed in the heptathlon. She represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where she finished 12th in the heptathlon event.
Laresha Compton is an American actress and comedian known for her roles in various television shows and films. She has appeared in projects such as "Insecure," "The Upshaws," and "Freeridge," showcasing her comedic talents and versatility as a performer.
While the name Laresha does not have a long historical record or deep cultural roots, it has gained popularity and recognition in recent decades, primarily within the African American community in the United States.
People
Laresha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Laresha 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
Laresha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laresha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 237 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Laresha 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 1,446,221 US residents.
Is Laresha a common name?
We classify Laresha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 250 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Laresha most popular?
The single biggest year for Laresha was 1990, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Laresha is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Laresha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Laresha 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.