Lasheka
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly African-American or a variant of Lashanda.
Name Census estimates that about 284 living Americans carry the first name Lasheka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lasheka today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lasheka births was 1980 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lasheka. 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
284
~ 1 in 1,206,881 Americans
Peak year
1980
21 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1994 SSA rank
#11,220
Tracked since 1972
Census
Lasheka in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 249 people with the first name Lasheka, which placed it at #33,298 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
#33,298
National first-name rank
People counted
249
249 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
97.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lasheka
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lasheka is Black at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and White (0.8%). 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 Lasheka 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 Lasheka at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.2% · 242
- Two or more races1.2% · 3
- White0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Popularity
Lasheka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lasheka from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 170 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
Lasheka 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 Lasheka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lashekas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lasheka
The name Lasheka has its origins in the African American community, specifically in the southern United States. It is believed to have emerged in the late 20th century as a unique and creative combination of elements from various African and African American naming traditions.
One possible interpretation of the name suggests that it is a blend of the names Lashonda and Shekeya. Lashonda is a name of African American origin, with roots tracing back to the vernacular phrase "the shonda" or "the wonder." Shekeya, on the other hand, is a name of uncertain origin, but it may have connections to the West African region.
While there are no definitive historical references to the name Lasheka in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its emergence can be seen as a reflection of the cultural pride and identity of African Americans during the latter part of the 20th century. This period saw a resurgence of interest in African-inspired names and a desire to create unique monikers that celebrated one's heritage.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Lasheka are relatively recent, with the first instances appearing in birth records and census data from the 1970s and 1980s. However, it is important to note that record-keeping practices, particularly for African American communities, were often inconsistent or incomplete in earlier periods, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the name.
Throughout its relatively short history, the name Lasheka has been borne by several notable individuals. One example is Lasheka Moore, a professional basketball player who played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for teams like the Houston Comets and the Detroit Shock in the early 2000s. Another individual with this name is Lasheka Jayroe, an American singer and songwriter known for her work in the gospel and contemporary Christian music genres.
Other individuals who have carried the name Lasheka include Lasheka Melvin, an American track and field athlete who specialized in the 100-meter hurdles and competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Additionally, Lasheka Masamba is a South African actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films.
It is worth noting that while the name Lasheka has gained popularity within the African American community, it has also been adopted by individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds, reflecting the growing trend of embracing unique and culturally significant names across different societies.
People
Lasheka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lasheka 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
Lasheka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lasheka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 284 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lasheka 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 1,206,881 US residents.
Is Lasheka a common name?
We classify Lasheka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 304 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lasheka most popular?
The single biggest year for Lasheka was 1980, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lasheka is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lasheka in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 249 people with the name Lasheka, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,298 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 Lasheka 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 Lasheka?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lasheka leans strongly female. 258 people counted with this name were female (98.1%), compared with 5 male bearers (1.9%). 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 Lasheka?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lasheka is Black at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and White (0.8%). 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 Lasheka most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lasheka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (242 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 Lasheka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lasheka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lasheka 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 Lasheka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lasheka 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 Lasheka 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 Americans are named Lasheka?
Want to know how many Americans are named Lasheka? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.