Lashonda
A feminine given name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of African-American elements.
Name Census estimates that about 8,551 living Americans carry the first name Lashonda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lashonda today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lashonda births was 1977 (513 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lashonda. 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
8.6K
~ 1 in 40,084 Americans
Peak year
1977
513 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2016 SSA rank
#17,708
Tracked since 1964
Census
Lashonda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,328 people with the first name Lashonda, which placed it at #3,034 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
#3,034
National first-name rank
People counted
7.3K
7,328 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lashonda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lashonda is Black at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lashonda 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 Lashonda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.8% · 6,728
- White3.5% · 260
- Two or more races2.8% · 202
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.0% · 2
Popularity
Lashonda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lashonda from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 4,137 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
Lashonda 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 Lashonda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lashondas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 28 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Lashonda, while New Mexico, Arizona, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 287 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lashonda
The name Lashonda has its origins in African American culture and is believed to have emerged in the mid-20th century. It is a combination of the French name "Lashon" and the English word "wonder," reflecting a sense of admiration and awe.
The earliest recorded use of the name Lashonda dates back to the 1950s in the United States, particularly among African American families in the southern states. It gained popularity during the Civil Rights Movement, a time when African Americans were reclaiming their cultural identity and embracing names with strong, positive connotations.
While the name Lashonda does not have a direct historical reference in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it embodies the spirit of resilience and pride that characterized the African American experience during that era. It was a statement of self-affirmation and a celebration of beauty and strength.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name Lashonda was Lashonda Demus, an American athlete who competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games as a hurdler. She won a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, becoming a source of inspiration for many young African American women.
Another famous Lashonda was Lashonda Katrice Epps, a singer and songwriter who rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s as part of the R&B group Total. Her powerful vocals and stage presence made her a household name in the music industry.
In the realm of academics, Lashonda Lester-Olive, an educator and advocate for diversity and inclusion, made significant contributions to promoting equity in education. Her work has inspired generations of students and educators to embrace diversity and create inclusive learning environments.
Lashonda Millborn-Fobbs, a entrepreneur and philanthropist, founded a successful skincare line and dedicated herself to empowering women and supporting various charitable causes. Her business acumen and commitment to giving back have earned her numerous accolades and recognition.
Lastly, Lashonda Lester, a former professional basketball player, made her mark in the WNBA, playing for several teams throughout her career. Her athletic prowess and determination inspired many young girls to pursue their dreams in sports and beyond.
People
Lashonda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lashonda 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
Lashonda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lashonda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,551 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lashonda 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 40,084 US residents.
Is Lashonda a common name?
We classify Lashonda as "Rare". It ranks above 97.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,235 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lashonda most popular?
The single biggest year for Lashonda was 1977, when 513 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lashonda is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lashonda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,328 people with the name Lashonda, or 2.43 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,034 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 Lashonda 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 Lashonda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lashonda appears almost entirely female. Of the 7,324 people counted with this name, 99.9% 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 Lashonda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lashonda is Black at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lashonda most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lashonda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (6,728 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 Lashonda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lashonda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lashonda 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 Lashonda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lashonda 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 Lashonda 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 share the name Lashonda?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.