Porsha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps derived from a Persian word meaning "turquoise."
Name Census estimates that about 3,857 living Americans carry the first name Porsha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Porsha today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Porsha births was 1989 (302 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Porsha. 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 Porsha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.9K
~ 1 in 88,866 Americans
Peak year
1989
302 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1989 SSA rank
#7,663
Tracked since 1963
Census
Porsha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,204 people with the first name Porsha, which placed it at #5,379 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
#5,379
National first-name rank
People counted
3.2K
3,204 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
77.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Porsha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Porsha is Black at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Porsha 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 Porsha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.9% · 2,497
- White12.5% · 401
- Two or more races4.4% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 21
Gender
Gender distribution for Porsha
Out of the 4,032 babies given the name Porsha since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Porsha as a male name
- Ranked #7,663 in 1989
- 6 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1989 (6 births)
Porsha as a female name
- Ranked #17,015 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1989 (296 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Porsha appears almost entirely female. Of the 3,206 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Porsha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Porsha from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 1,637 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Porsha 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 Porsha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Porshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 25 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Porsha, while Kentucky, District of Columbia, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 102 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Porsha
The name Porsha is a relatively modern name, and its origins are not entirely clear. It is believed to be a variant or diminutive form of the name Portia, which has its roots in the Latin language.
Portia was a Roman name derived from the Latin word "portio," meaning "share" or "portion." It was a common name among ancient Roman families and was borne by several notable historical figures, such as Portia, the wife of Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar.
While the name Portia has a long and established history, the name Porsha is a more recent creation. It is thought to have emerged in the United States in the late 20th century, possibly as a creative spelling variation or a shortened form of Portia.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Porsha can be found in the character Porsha Washington from the American television series "The Parkers," which aired from 1999 to 2004. This may have contributed to the name's popularity and wider recognition.
Throughout history, there are a few notable individuals who have borne the name Porsha, although their numbers are relatively few compared to more traditional names.
1. Porsha Williams (born 1981) is an American television personality and actress, best known for her appearance on the reality show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."
2. Porsha Monique (born 1981) is an American singer and songwriter, who has released several albums and singles in the R&B and gospel genres.
3. Porsha Renee (born 1985) is an American model and actress, who has appeared in various television shows and music videos.
4. Porsha Jones (born 1992) is an American professional basketball player, who has played in the WNBA for teams such as the Connecticut Sun and the Dallas Wings.
5. Porsha Olayiwola (born 1988) is an American poet and spoken word artist, known for her performances and advocacy work in the areas of social justice and intersectional feminism.
While the name Porsha may not have an extensive historical background, it has gained popularity in recent decades and has been embraced by individuals from various backgrounds and cultures.
People
Porsha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Porsha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Porsha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Porsha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,857 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Porsha 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 88,866 US residents.
Is Porsha a common name?
We classify Porsha as "Rare". It ranks above 95.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,032 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Porsha most popular?
The single biggest year for Porsha was 1989, when 302 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Porsha is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Porsha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,204 people with the name Porsha, or 1.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,379 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 Porsha 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 Porsha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Porsha appears almost entirely female. Of the 3,206 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Porsha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Porsha is Black at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (12.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Porsha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Porsha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (2,497 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 Porsha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Porsha a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Porsha 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 Porsha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Porsha 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 Porsha 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 are named Porsha?
Find out how many people share the name Porsha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.