Ratasha
A feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 74 living Americans carry the first name Ratasha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ratasha today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ratasha births was 1980 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ratasha. 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 Ratasha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
74
~ 1 in 4,631,815 Americans
Peak year
1980
11 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1989 SSA rank
#11,955
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Ratasha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ratasha from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 56 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ratasha 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 Ratasha 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 Ratasha
The name Ratasha is a relatively modern invention with no clear origins in any particular language or culture. It appears to be a combination of elements from various existing names and linguistic roots, rather than being derived from a single source.
One potential influence on the name Ratasha could be the Sanskrit word "ratha," which means "chariot" or "vehicle." This root is found in names like Rathna and Rathnavel in Indian cultures. However, there is no direct etymological link between "ratha" and Ratasha.
Another possible connection is to the Latin name "Rata," which was a feminine form of the name "Ratus." This name was used in ancient Rome, but it is not clear if there is any relationship to the modern name Ratasha.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Ratasha appear to be from the late 20th century, primarily in English-speaking countries. There are no known historical figures or references to this name in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Ratasha is Ratasha Graves, an American actress born in the late 1970s. She has appeared in various television shows and films, including The Wire and The Division.
Another notable bearer of the name is Ratasha Hendrix, an American entrepreneur and author born in the 1980s. She is the founder of the Ratasha Hendrix Foundation, which supports women's empowerment and education initiatives.
In the world of sports, Ratasha Sampson is a former professional basketball player from the United States. She played in the WNBA for the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks in the early 2000s.
Ratasha Hawkins is an American singer and songwriter who has released several albums in the genres of R&B and soul music. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s and has collaborated with various artists over the years.
Lastly, Ratasha Smith is a British author and poet who has published several works of fiction and poetry since the early 2000s. Her writings often explore themes of identity, culture, and social issues.
While the name Ratasha has gained some popularity in recent decades, its origins and historical significance remain uncertain. It appears to be a modern creation without deep roots in any specific cultural or linguistic tradition.
People
Ratasha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ratasha 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
Ratasha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ratasha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 74 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ratasha 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 4,631,815 US residents.
Is Ratasha a common name?
We classify Ratasha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 80 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ratasha most popular?
The single biggest year for Ratasha was 1980, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ratasha is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Ratasha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ratasha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ratasha 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 Ratasha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ratasha 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 Ratasha 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Ratasha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.