Myesha
A feminine given name of obscure origin, possibly African American.
Name Census estimates that about 3,237 living Americans carry the first name Myesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Myesha today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Myesha births was 1993 (168 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Myesha. 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 Myesha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.2K
~ 1 in 105,886 Americans
Peak year
1993
168 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,765
Tracked since 1970
Census
Myesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,606 people with the first name Myesha, which placed it at #6,213 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
#6,213
National first-name rank
People counted
2.6K
2,606 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Myesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myesha is Black at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Myesha 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 Myesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.6% · 2,336
- Two or more races3.7% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 48
- White1.7% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
Popularity
Myesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Myesha from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 1,395 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
Myesha 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 Myesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Myeshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Myesha, while Arkansas, Oklahoma, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 83 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Myesha
The name Myesha is believed to have originated from the Swahili language spoken in East Africa. It is a feminine name that has its roots in the word "myeshi," which means "light" or "sunshine." This name is thought to have been in use among the Swahili people as early as the 15th century, during the height of the Swahili coastal city-states and their flourishing trade routes across the Indian Ocean.
While the name's exact origins are uncertain, it is likely that Myesha was initially a descriptive name given to children who were born during the daytime or who exhibited a particularly bright and sunny demeanor. The name may have also been associated with the hope and joy that a newborn child brought to a family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Myesha can be found in the writings of the renowned Swahili poet and philosopher, Sheikh Abdillahi Nassir, who lived in the 18th century. In his collection of poetry, he mentions a woman named Myesha, described as a beautiful and virtuous figure.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Myesha. In the 19th century, Myesha al-Nasr was a prominent Swahili educator and advocate for women's rights in Zanzibar. She established one of the first schools for girls in the region and worked tirelessly to promote education and empowerment for women.
Another famous Myesha was Myesha Maithurin, a renowned Swahili singer and musician from the early 20th century. Her powerful vocals and captivating stage presence earned her widespread acclaim throughout East Africa and beyond.
In more recent times, Myesha Jenkins (born 1980) is an American actress and model who has appeared in numerous television shows and films. She is known for her roles in the popular series "Gossip Girl" and "Scandal."
Myesha Chaney (born 1974) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for several years, representing teams such as the Los Angeles Sparks and the Sacramento Monarchs. She was known for her tenacious defense and leadership on the court.
While the name Myesha has its roots in the Swahili culture, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in the United States and other English-speaking countries. Its meaning and association with light, joy, and positivity have resonated with many parents seeking a unique and meaningful name for their daughters.
People
Myesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Myesha 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
Myesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Myesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,237 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Myesha 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 105,886 US residents.
Is Myesha a common name?
We classify Myesha as "Rare". It ranks above 95.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,392 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Myesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Myesha was 1993, when 168 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Myesha is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Myesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,606 people with the name Myesha, or 0.86 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,213 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 Myesha 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 Myesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Myesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,605 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Myesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myesha is Black at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Myesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Myesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,336 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 Myesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Myesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Myesha 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 Myesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Myesha 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 Myesha 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 are named Myesha?
Want to know how many people share the name Myesha? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.