Rakisha
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "dancer" or "entertainer".
Name Census estimates that about 162 living Americans carry the first name Rakisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rakisha today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rakisha births was 1981 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rakisha. 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
162
~ 1 in 2,115,768 Americans
Peak year
1981
21 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1994 SSA rank
#10,290
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Rakisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rakisha from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 107 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
Rakisha 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 Rakisha 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 Rakisha
The name Rakisha is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with roots tracing back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "rakib," which means "rider" or "knight." This name gained popularity during the early Islamic period and was often associated with warriors and individuals of noble or military backgrounds.
In ancient Islamic texts and historical records, the name Rakisha was sometimes used as a masculine name, but it gradually transitioned to become more commonly used as a feminine name over time. Some scholars suggest that the name may have been inspired by the legendary female warrior Khawlah bint al-Azwar, who fought alongside the Prophet Muhammad in the Battle of the Camel in 656 CE.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Rakisha can be found in the writings of the 9th-century Muslim historian and scholar, Al-Tabari. He mentioned a woman named Rakisha who was a prominent figure in the court of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mu'tazz (866-869 CE).
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Rakisha. One such figure was Rakisha al-Andalusiyya (born c. 1050 CE), a renowned poet and scholar from the Iberian Peninsula during the Islamic Golden Age. Her works were celebrated for their depth and eloquence, and she was highly regarded in literary circles of her time.
Another prominent Rakisha was Rakisha bint Abi Bakr (born c. 1140 CE), a respected Islamic scholar and jurist from Damascus. She was renowned for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her contributions to the development of Islamic legal thought.
In the 13th century, Rakisha al-Dimashqiyya (born c. 1220 CE) was a influential mystic and Sufi saint from Damascus. She was revered for her spiritual teachings and her dedication to the Sufi path, and her legacy continues to be celebrated by Sufi orders to this day.
The name Rakisha also found its way into the Ottoman Empire, with Rakisha Khanum (born c. 1570 CE) being a notable figure. She was a powerful and influential woman in the Ottoman court, serving as a trusted advisor to several sultans and playing a significant role in shaping the political landscape of her time.
Another notable Rakisha was Rakisha al-Misriyya (born c. 1650 CE), a celebrated calligrapher and artist from Egypt. Her intricate and beautiful calligraphic works adorned many mosques and palaces throughout the region, and she is regarded as one of the great masters of Islamic calligraphy.
People
Rakisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rakisha 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
Rakisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rakisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 162 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rakisha 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 2,115,768 US residents.
Is Rakisha a common name?
We classify Rakisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 173 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rakisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Rakisha was 1981, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rakisha is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rakisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rakisha 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.