Myisha
A feminine name derived from Arabic meaning "she who walks gracefully".
Name Census estimates that about 1,464 living Americans carry the first name Myisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Myisha today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Myisha births was 1980 (77 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Myisha. 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
1.5K
~ 1 in 234,122 Americans
Peak year
1980
77 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,806
Tracked since 1969
Census
Myisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,149 people with the first name Myisha, which placed it at #11,266 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
#11,266
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,149 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
87.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Myisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myisha is Black at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Myisha 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 Myisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.5% · 1,005
- Two or more races4.6% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 20
- White1.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Popularity
Myisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Myisha from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 599 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
Myisha 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 Myisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Myishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. California, Illinois, Texas recorded the most babies named Myisha, while Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 43 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Myisha
Myisha is a feminine given name with roots in the Arabic language. It is believed to have originated in the Middle East region during the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Arabic word "maysara," which means "good fortune" or "prosperity."
In ancient Arabic texts and poetry, the name Myisha is often associated with themes of luck, prosperity, and blessings. It was a popular choice among Arab families who wished to bestow these qualities upon their daughters. The name's earliest recorded use can be traced back to the 10th century, when it appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from the region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Myisha was Myisha bint al-Hasan, a renowned Arab poetess who lived in the 9th century. She was celebrated for her eloquence and mastery of the Arabic language, and her poems are still studied and recited today. Another notable figure was Myisha al-Qurashi, a revered Islamic scholar and theologian from the 11th century, who made significant contributions to the study of Islamic jurisprudence.
In the 12th century, Myisha al-Andalusia, a talented musician and composer from Andalusia (modern-day Spain), gained fame for her skill in playing the oud and her innovative musical compositions. Her works were widely appreciated and influential in the development of Andalusian music.
During the Ottoman Empire, Myisha Hatun was a prominent figure in the 16th century. She was a highly educated and influential woman who served as a political advisor and confidante to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Her wisdom and counsel were greatly valued by the Sultan, and she played a crucial role in shaping the policies and decisions of the Ottoman court.
In more recent times, Myisha Kamara was a Liberian activist and humanitarian who dedicated her life to advocating for women's rights and education. She founded several organizations aimed at empowering women and girls in Liberia and worked tirelessly to promote gender equality and social justice in her country.
While the name Myisha has Arabic roots, it has gained popularity in various cultures and regions around the world. Its meaning and historical significance have made it a cherished choice for parents seeking a name that embodies prosperity, good fortune, and blessings for their daughters.
People
Myisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Myisha 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
Myisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Myisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,464 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Myisha 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 234,122 US residents.
Is Myisha a common name?
We classify Myisha as "Rare". It ranks above 92.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,551 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Myisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Myisha was 1980, when 77 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Myisha is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Myisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,149 people with the name Myisha, or 0.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,266 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 Myisha 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 Myisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Myisha appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,150 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 Myisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myisha is Black at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Myisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Myisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (1,005 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 Myisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Myisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Myisha 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 Myisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Myisha 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 Myisha 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 have Myisha as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Myisha, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.