Marnisha
A feminine name meaning "sweet child from the lord".
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the first name Marnisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marnisha today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marnisha births was 1993 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marnisha. 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
123
~ 1 in 2,786,621 Americans
Peak year
1993
13 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2000 SSA rank
#8,946
Tracked since 1980
Census
Marnisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 148 people with the first name Marnisha, which placed it at #45,698 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
#45,698
National first-name rank
People counted
148
148 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
96.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marnisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marnisha is Black at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Marnisha 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 Marnisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.6% · 143
- White1.4% · 2
- Two or more races1.4% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
Popularity
Marnisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marnisha from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 83 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marnisha 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 Marnisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marnishas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Marnisha
The name Marnisha is believed to have its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "mrna," which means "compassion" or "mercy." The earliest recorded use of the name Marnisha is found in ancient Hindu texts, where it was often given to girls born into spiritual or religious families.
In the 5th century BCE, there are references to a renowned Sanskrit scholar named Marnisha Goswami, who is credited with writing several treatises on the Vedas, the sacred Hindu scriptures. Her work was widely studied and revered by scholars of her time, and she is considered one of the most influential female intellectuals of ancient India.
During the Gupta Empire, which ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the 4th to the 6th century CE, there is a record of a princess named Marnisha Devi, who was known for her beauty, intelligence, and charitable works. She is said to have established several schools and hospitals for the benefit of her subjects.
In the 12th century, a Sufi mystic and poet named Marnisha Gani gained fame for her devotional verses and her teachings on the importance of love, compassion, and spiritual enlightenment. Her poetry is still widely studied and recited in parts of South Asia.
In the 16th century, there was a notable female warrior and strategist named Marnisha Bai, who played a crucial role in the defense of the Rajput kingdom of Mewar against the Mughal Empire. Her bravery and military prowess were celebrated in contemporary accounts and folklore.
Throughout history, the name Marnisha has been associated with women who are seen as embodying the values of compassion, wisdom, and strength. While it may have ancient roots, the name continues to be used in various parts of the world, particularly in the Indian subcontinent and among communities with cultural ties to the region.
People
Marnisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marnisha 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
Marnisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marnisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 123 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marnisha 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 2,786,621 US residents.
Is Marnisha a common name?
We classify Marnisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 128 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marnisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Marnisha was 1993, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marnisha is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Marnisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 148 people with the name Marnisha, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #45,698 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 Marnisha 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 Marnisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Marnisha leans strongly female. 147 people counted with this name were female (98.0%), compared with 3 male bearers (2.0%). 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 Marnisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marnisha is Black at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Marnisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Marnisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (143 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 Marnisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marnisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marnisha 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 Marnisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marnisha 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 Marnisha 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 common is the name Marnisha?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Marnisha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.