Meisha
An invented feminine name of uncertain meaning or origin.
Name Census estimates that about 994 living Americans carry the first name Meisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meisha today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meisha births was 1990 (61 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meisha. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Meisha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
994
~ 1 in 344,823 Americans
Peak year
1990
61 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,877
Tracked since 1967
Census
Meisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 994 people with the first name Meisha, which placed it at #12,493 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
#12,493
National first-name rank
People counted
994
994 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
51.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Meisha is Black at 51.5%. The next largest groups are White (28.0%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Meisha 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 Meisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.5% · 512
- White28.0% · 278
- Two or more races7.9% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 20
Popularity
Meisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meisha from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 333 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
Meisha 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 Meisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Meisha, while Texas, New Jersey, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Meisha
The name Meisha is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots tracing back to ancient Middle Eastern cultures. The name is derived from the Arabic word "Mish," which means "air" or "breeze," symbolizing a gentle and refreshing presence.
In the historical context, the name Meisha gained prominence during the Islamic Golden Age, a period of cultural, economic, and scientific flourishing in the Middle East and North Africa between the 8th and 13th centuries. This era witnessed the rise of influential scholars, poets, and philosophers who may have borne this name or contributed to its spread through their literary works.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Meisha can be found in the writings of the renowned Persian poet and philosopher, Rumi (1207-1273 CE). Rumi's poetry often celebrated the beauty of nature and the human soul, making the name Meisha, with its connection to air and breeze, a fitting choice for a character or subject in his works.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Meisha. One such individual was Meisha al-Kalbi (8th century CE), a renowned Arab genealogist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Arabic tribes and their lineages. Her work, "Jamharat al-Nasab," remains an important reference for historians and researchers exploring the genealogies of ancient Arabian societies.
Another prominent figure was Meisha al-Merwazi (9th century CE), a celebrated female mathematician and astronomer from the Abbasid Caliphate. She is credited with developing innovative methods for calculating the positions of celestial bodies and contributing to the advancement of astronomical knowledge during the Islamic Golden Age.
In the realm of literature, Meisha Merali (born 1981) is a contemporary British author and journalist of Pakistani descent. Her critically acclaimed novel, "The Last Nomad," explores themes of cultural identity, displacement, and the human experience, resonating with readers across the globe.
Meisha Cammet (born 1978) is an American actress and producer known for her roles in television series such as "NCIS," "Bones," and "The Mentalist." Her diverse acting career has spanned over two decades, showcasing her talent and versatility on both the small and big screens.
As this name has traversed across cultures and eras, its essence and meaning have remained rooted in the concepts of gentleness, refreshment, and natural beauty, making it a timeless and captivating choice for parents seeking a name with depth and cultural richness.
People
Meisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meisha 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
Meisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 994 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meisha 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 344,823 US residents.
Is Meisha a common name?
We classify Meisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,048 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Meisha was 1990, when 61 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meisha is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Meisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 994 people with the name Meisha, or 0.33 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,493 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 Meisha 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 Meisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Meisha leans strongly female. 970 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 16 male bearers (1.6%). 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 Meisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Meisha is Black at 51.5%. The next largest groups are White (28.0%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Meisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Meisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.5% (512 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 Meisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Meisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meisha 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 Meisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Meisha 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 Meisha 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 Meisha?
See how many people share the name Meisha on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.