Olisha
A unique variant of the Hebrew name Elisha, potentially meaning "God is salvation".
Name Census estimates that about 24 living Americans carry the first name Olisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Olisha today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olisha births was 1978 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olisha. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Olisha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
24
~ 1 in 14,281,431 Americans
Peak year
1978
5 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1995 SSA rank
#15,104
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Olisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olisha from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 20 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olisha 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 Olisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Olisha
The name Olisha is believed to have originated in the ancient Sanskrit language, which was predominantly spoken in the Indian subcontinent around the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit root word "Alisha," meaning "noble" or "illustrious." The name's origins can be traced back to the Vedic period of ancient Indian history.
In Hindu mythology, the name Olisha is associated with several characters and deities. One notable reference is found in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics, where Olisha is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought alongside the Pandava princes during the epic Kurukshetra war.
The earliest recorded use of the name Olisha can be found in ancient Hindu texts and inscriptions dating back to the 5th century BCE. One of the earliest known individuals to bear this name was Olisha, a renowned scholar and grammarian who lived in the 5th century BCE and is credited with writing the Ashtadhyayi, a foundational text on Sanskrit grammar.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Olisha. One such individual was Olisha Devi (1516-1572), a Rajput princess and warrior who played a crucial role in defending the Mewar Kingdom against the Mughal Empire during the 16th century.
Another prominent figure was Olisha Charan Nag (1833-1900), an Indian philosopher and social reformer who advocated for the abolition of the caste system and promoted education for women in the 19th century.
In the realm of art and literature, Olisha Dutta (1915-1996) was a renowned Bengali poet and writer who made significant contributions to modern Bengali literature and received numerous accolades, including the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Olisha Naidu (1879-1949), a renowned Indian poet and activist, was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement and played a crucial role in advocating for women's rights and social reforms.
Lastly, Olisha Bakshi (1921-1988) was a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer who helped revive and popularize the ancient dance form of Odissi, earning her the honorific title of "Nritya Samragyi" (Queen of Dance).
While the name Olisha has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu culture, it has transcended geographical and cultural boundaries, and individuals bearing this name have made significant contributions across various fields throughout history.
People
Olisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Olisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 24 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olisha 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 14,281,431 US residents.
Is Olisha a common name?
We classify Olisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Olisha was 1978, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olisha is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Olisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Olisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Olisha 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 Olisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Olisha 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 Olisha 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Olisha?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.