Rashaunda
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a blend of other names.
Name Census estimates that about 238 living Americans carry the first name Rashaunda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rashaunda today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rashaunda births was 1990 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rashaunda. 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
238
~ 1 in 1,440,144 Americans
Peak year
1990
20 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1996 SSA rank
#15,280
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Rashaunda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rashaunda 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 142 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Rashaunda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rashaunda 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 Rashaunda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rashaundas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rashaunda
The name Rashaunda is of African-American origin, emerging in the late 20th century as a combination of the common names Rashad and LaShonda. Its roots can be traced back to Arabic and African influences, reflecting the rich cultural diversity of the African diaspora.
The first part of the name, "Rash," is believed to derive from the Arabic word "rashid," meaning "righteous" or "guided by God." This element is found in many traditional Arabic names, such as Rashid and Rashida. The latter part, "aunda," is likely inspired by the West African name Shaundra or Shaunda, which has roots in the Yoruba language and means "blessed child."
While the name Rashaunda has no direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its components carry cultural significance and reflect the blending of different linguistic traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rashaunda can be found in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, coinciding with the rise of the Black Power movement and the increasing popularity of Afrocentric names among African Americans.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Rashaunda:
1. Rashaunda Bush (born 1982), an American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA and overseas leagues.
2. Rashaunda Saddler (born 1990), an American track and field athlete who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
3. Rashaunda Amerson (born 1989), an American basketball player who played professionally in Europe.
4. Rashaunda Jemerson (born 1980), an American actress and singer known for her roles in television shows and stage productions.
5. Rashaunda Stephens (born 1985), an American entrepreneur and author who founded a successful beauty and lifestyle brand.
These individuals, spanning various fields such as sports, entertainment, and business, have helped to popularize and spread the name Rashaunda across different communities and cultural contexts.
People
Rashaunda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rashaunda 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
Rashaunda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rashaunda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 238 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rashaunda 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 1,440,144 US residents.
Is Rashaunda a common name?
We classify Rashaunda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 253 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rashaunda most popular?
The single biggest year for Rashaunda was 1990, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rashaunda is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rashaunda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rashaunda 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.