Oniesha
Feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially inspired by the Oneida tribe.
Name Census estimates that about 30 living Americans carry the first name Oniesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Oniesha today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oniesha births was 1994 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oniesha. 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 Oniesha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
30
~ 1 in 11,425,145 Americans
Peak year
1994
8 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
1996 SSA rank
#13,015
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Oniesha: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Oniesha 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 Oniesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | 31 | 31 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Oniesha
The given name Oniesha is believed to have its origins in the Igbo language, which is primarily spoken in southeastern Nigeria. The name is thought to be derived from the Igbo words "Onye" meaning "person" and "Isha" meaning "blessing" or "gift." Therefore, the name Oniesha can be interpreted as "gift of a person" or "a blessed person."
Tracing the historical roots of the name Oniesha is challenging due to the scarcity of written records from the region where the Igbo language originated. However, it is widely accepted that the Igbo people have a rich cultural heritage that spans several centuries, with their language and naming traditions dating back to ancient times.
While there are no definitive records of the name Oniesha appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that variations of the name were used among the Igbo communities before written records became prevalent. Oral traditions and storytelling played a significant role in preserving the cultural identity and heritage of the Igbo people.
The earliest known instances of the name Oniesha are difficult to pinpoint due to the lack of comprehensive historical records. However, some notable individuals bearing the name Oniesha have emerged in more recent times, contributing to the awareness and recognition of this name.
One such individual is Oniesha Sanderson, an American track and field athlete who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Born in 1985, she specialized in the 400-meter hurdles and won a silver medal at the 2011 World Championships.
Another notable person with the name Oniesha is Oniesha Hunte, a Trinidadian-Canadian beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe Canada in 2019. Born in 1996, she went on to represent Canada at the Miss Universe 2019 competition.
Oniesha Kinlow is an American entrepreneur and author known for her work in the field of personal development and self-empowerment. She has published several books, including "The Wealth Code: Manifesting Miracles and Fulfilling Your Destiny."
Oniesha Nzegwu is a Nigerian-American philosopher and academic who has contributed significantly to the fields of African philosophy, feminist theory, and postcolonial studies. She is currently a professor at the University of Connecticut.
Oniesha Payne is a British actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films. Some of her notable credits include the TV series "Fortitude" and the film "The Hustle" alongside Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.
It is worth noting that while the name Oniesha has gained recognition in various parts of the world, its usage and popularity may vary across different regions and cultures.
People
Oniesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oniesha 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
Oniesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oniesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 30 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oniesha 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 11,425,145 US residents.
Is Oniesha a common name?
We classify Oniesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 31 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oniesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Oniesha was 1994, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oniesha is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Oniesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oniesha 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.