Nikisha
Feminine name of Greek origin meaning "victory of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 1,082 living Americans carry the first name Nikisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nikisha today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nikisha births was 1977 (95 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nikisha. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 316,779 Americans
Peak year
1977
95 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2012 SSA rank
#18,802
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Nikisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nikisha from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 536 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nikisha 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 Nikisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nikishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. Illinois, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Nikisha, while Tennessee, Indiana, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nikisha
The name Nikisha is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. The name is believed to be a derivative of the Sanskrit word "Niksha," which means "beautiful eyes" or "good vision." It is also thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Nishka," which refers to a type of ornament or necklace worn by women.
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, there are references to the name Nikisha being used for female characters. One notable example is in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, where a minor character named Nikisha is mentioned as the daughter of King Virata.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nikisha dates back to the 7th century CE, during the Gupta Empire period in ancient India. There are historical records of a few women with this name during this time, though not much is known about their lives or achievements.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Nikisha was a 12th-century Indian poet and mystic from the Nath tradition. She is known for her devotional poetry and her contributions to the Bhakti movement, a spiritual movement that emphasized devotion to the divine.
In the 16th century, there was a Nikisha who was a court dancer and entertainer in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. She was renowned for her skills in dance and music and is mentioned in historical chronicles from that era.
Another notable Nikisha was a 17th-century Indian painter who specialized in miniature paintings. She was part of the Rajput court in Rajasthan and is known for her intricate and detailed works depicting scenes from Hindu mythology and court life.
In the 19th century, there was a Nikisha who was a social reformer and educator in the state of Maharashtra, India. She worked towards promoting education and empowerment for women, and is remembered for her efforts in establishing schools and educational institutions for girls.
Nikisha was also the name of a 20th-century Indian classical dancer who was known for her expertise in the Kathak dance form. She performed extensively and was recognized for her contributions to preserving and promoting classical Indian dance forms.
People
Nikisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nikisha 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
Nikisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nikisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,082 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nikisha 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 316,779 US residents.
Is Nikisha a common name?
We classify Nikisha as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,165 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nikisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Nikisha was 1977, when 95 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nikisha is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nikisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nikisha 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.
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.