Neesha
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "night of joy".
Name Census estimates that about 259 living Americans carry the first name Neesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Neesha today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Neesha births was 1990 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Neesha. 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 Neesha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
259
~ 1 in 1,323,376 Americans
Peak year
1990
18 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2002 SSA rank
#14,893
Tracked since 1969
Census
Neesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 443 people with the first name Neesha, which placed it at #22,452 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
#22,452
National first-name rank
People counted
443
443 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
44.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Neesha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and White (20.3%). 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 Neesha 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 Neesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander44.0% · 195
- Black or African American21.0% · 93
- White20.3% · 90
- Two or more races7.7% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 12
Popularity
Neesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Neesha from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 116 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
Neesha 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 Neesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Neeshas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Neesha
The name Neesha has its roots in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Nisha," which means "night" or "darkness." The name is widely used in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in regions where Sanskrit and its derived languages were prevalent.
In Hindu mythology, there are references to the concept of "Nisha" as a personification of the night. It was often depicted as a feminine force and was associated with the moon and the cycle of day and night. The name Neesha, therefore, may have been chosen to honor this mythological representation or to convey a sense of beauty, mystery, and serenity associated with the night.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neesha can be found in ancient Sanskrit texts and inscriptions. However, it is difficult to pinpoint a specific historical figure from that era who bore this name. As time passed, the name gained popularity across various regions of India and neighboring countries, where it was adapted to different linguistic variations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Neesha. One prominent figure was Neesha Sujan, a renowned Punjabi poetess and lyricist who lived in the 18th century. Her poetic works, which often celebrated the beauty of nature and love, have been widely acclaimed and continue to be studied today.
In the realm of arts and culture, Neesha Menon was a celebrated Indian classical dancer from the 20th century. Born in 1928, she was a prominent exponent of Bharatanatyam, a traditional Indian dance form, and played a significant role in popularizing and preserving this art form.
Another notable individual was Neesha Sindhu, a pioneering Indian environmentalist and activist who dedicated her life to the conservation of natural resources and raising awareness about environmental issues. Her work in the latter half of the 20th century paved the way for many successful environmental campaigns and initiatives.
In the field of science, Neesha Raghavan was an Indian-American astrophysicist who made significant contributions to the study of black holes and gravitational waves. Born in 1965, she was a renowned researcher and professor at various prestigious institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Lastly, Neesha Saxena was a celebrated Indian writer and journalist who lived from 1937 to 2019. Her novels, short stories, and articles explored themes of social justice, feminism, and the complexities of modern Indian society. Her literary works have been widely acclaimed and have left a lasting impact on Indian literature.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Neesha throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage.
People
Neesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Neesha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Neesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Neesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 259 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Neesha 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 1,323,376 US residents.
Is Neesha a common name?
We classify Neesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 276 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Neesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Neesha was 1990, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Neesha is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Neesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 443 people with the name Neesha, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,452 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 Neesha 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 Neesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Neesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 444 people counted with this name, 99.5% 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 Neesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Neesha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and White (20.3%). 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 Neesha most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Neesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.0% (195 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 Neesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Neesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Neesha 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 Neesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Neesha 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 Neesha 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 Neesha?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.