Lashona
A feminine name derived from Spanish, meaning "the language".
Name Census estimates that about 386 living Americans carry the first name Lashona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lashona today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lashona births was 1976 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lashona. 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
386
~ 1 in 887,965 Americans
Peak year
1976
32 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1996 SSA rank
#14,780
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Lashona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lashona from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 230 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lashona 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 Lashona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lashonas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Illinois, Mississippi, Texas recorded the most babies named Lashona, while Texas, Mississippi, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lashona
The name Lashona has its origins in the Swahili language, spoken primarily in East Africa. It is derived from the Swahili word "shona," which means "to adorn" or "to beautify." The name likely emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century, as the Swahili culture and language gained prominence across the region.
Lashona is believed to have been first used as a given name in coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania, where Swahili was widely spoken. The name's popularity may have been influenced by the aesthetic and artistic traditions of these communities, which valued adornment and beautification.
There are no known historical references to the name Lashona in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, it is possible that the name was used informally within Swahili-speaking communities before being recorded in written records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lashona dates back to the early 20th century. Lashona Mwajuma, a Tanzanian writer and activist, was born in 1912 and played a significant role in promoting women's rights and education in her country.
Another notable figure with the name Lashona is Lashona Decore Wittington (1928-2018), an American civil rights activist and community leader. Wittington was a prominent figure in the fight for racial equality and desegregation in the United States.
In the realm of sports, Lashona Bauchum (born 1973) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and represented her country in international competitions.
Lashona Monique Jones (born 1978) is an American singer and songwriter. She has collaborated with various artists and gained recognition for her soulful vocal performances.
Lashona Laree Vaughn (born 1979) is an American actress and writer. She has appeared in several TV shows and films, and her work often explores themes of identity and representation.
While the name Lashona may not be among the most common given names globally, it has a rich history rooted in the Swahili culture and language, and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
People
Lashona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lashona 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
Lashona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lashona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 386 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lashona 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 887,965 US residents.
Is Lashona a common name?
We classify Lashona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 419 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lashona most popular?
The single biggest year for Lashona was 1976, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lashona is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lashona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lashona 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.