Markisha
A feminine variant of the name Marcia of Latin origin meaning "warlike".
Name Census estimates that about 1,076 living Americans carry the first name Markisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Markisha today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Markisha births was 1979 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Markisha. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 318,545 Americans
Peak year
1979
67 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2007 SSA rank
#16,832
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Markisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Markisha 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 446 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
Markisha 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 Markisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Markishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Markisha, while South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Markisha
The name Markisha is a modern invention that emerged in the late 20th century, primarily in the United States. It does not have a clear linguistic origin or ancient roots. The name is believed to be a creative combination of the more traditional names Mark and Keisha.
Mark has its origins in the Latin name Marcus, which is derived from the Roman praenomen Mart-ius, meaning "consecrated to the god Mars." The name Marcus was widely used during the Roman Empire and was borne by several notable figures, including the philosopher Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) and the Roman general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (63-12 BC).
Keisha, on the other hand, is a modern African American name that emerged in the 20th century. It is often considered a variation of the name Keisha, which has its roots in the Swahili word "kesha," meaning "sorrow" or "trouble."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Markisha date back to the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States. However, it did not gain significant popularity until the 1980s and 1990s, particularly among African American communities. The name's rise in popularity is often attributed to the increasing trend of creating unique and distinctive names during that era.
While there are no widely famous historical figures bearing the name Markisha, a few notable individuals have carried this name in modern times. These include Markisha Rolle, an American basketball player who played for the Washington Mystics in the WNBA, and Markisha Alston, an American track and field athlete who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Other individuals with the name Markisha include Markisha Pearson, an American singer and songwriter, and Markisha Renee Williams, an American professional basketball player. Markisha Yancey is also a notable figure, known for her work as a motivational speaker and author.
It is important to note that the name Markisha, being a modern creation, does not have a long historical lineage or any significant references in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. Its popularity and usage have primarily been confined to the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
People
Markisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Markisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Markisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Markisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,076 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Markisha 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 318,545 US residents.
Is Markisha a common name?
We classify Markisha as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,136 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Markisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Markisha was 1979, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Markisha is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Markisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Markisha 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.