Rakeisha
A feminine name of American origin, a variant of Keisha.
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the first name Rakeisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rakeisha today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rakeisha births was 1993 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rakeisha. 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
175
~ 1 in 1,958,596 Americans
Peak year
1993
17 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2000 SSA rank
#16,963
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Rakeisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rakeisha from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 74 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
Rakeisha 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 Rakeisha 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 Rakeisha
The given name Rakeisha is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the United States in the late 20th century. It does not appear to have direct linguistic roots in any specific language or culture, but rather seems to be a creative combination of sounds and syllables that have become popular in recent decades.
While the name Rakeisha itself does not have a long historical pedigree, it may draw some inspiration from the African American naming tradition of combining elements from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The prefix "Ra" could be a nod to ancient Egyptian names or the common African root "Ra" meaning "sun" or "light." The suffix "-keisha" may be influenced by names of Irish or Gaelic origin, such as Keisha or Keeley.
Rakeisha does not appear to have any documented references in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the late 20th century. Its use as a given name seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon, likely gaining popularity in the United States among African American communities in the latter half of the 20th century.
Due to the relatively modern nature of the name, there are limited examples of historical figures bearing the name Rakeisha. However, here are a few notable individuals who have carried this name:
1. Rakeisha Wilkinson, an American basketball player who played for the University of South Carolina in the early 2000s.
2. Rakeisha Gregory, an American actress and model known for her roles in television shows and films in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
3. Rakeisha Pittman, an American track and field athlete who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
4. Rakeisha Bell, an American professional boxer who competed in the lightweight division in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
5. Rakeisha Ricks, an American entrepreneur and founder of the hair care company Rakeisha's Hair Lounge, established in the early 2010s.
As the name Rakeisha is a relatively modern creation, its historical roots and usage are limited compared to more traditional names with deeper linguistic and cultural origins. However, its increasing popularity in recent decades reflects the evolving trends and influences in naming practices, particularly within African American communities.
People
Rakeisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rakeisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rakeisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rakeisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 175 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rakeisha 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 1,958,596 US residents.
Is Rakeisha a common name?
We classify Rakeisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 185 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rakeisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Rakeisha was 1993, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rakeisha is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rakeisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rakeisha 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.