Reeshemah
A feminine name of Islamic origin signifying divinity and splendor.
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the first name Reeshemah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Reeshemah today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Reeshemah births was 1971 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Reeshemah. 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
109
~ 1 in 3,144,535 Americans
Peak year
1971
37 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1986 SSA rank
#12,313
Tracked since 1970
Census
Reeshemah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 102 people with the first name Reeshemah, which placed it at #53,122 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
#53,122
National first-name rank
People counted
102
102 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reeshemah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Reeshemah is Black at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Reeshemah 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 Reeshemah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.1% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- White1.0% · 1
Popularity
Reeshemah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Reeshemah from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 110 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Reeshemah 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 Reeshemah 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 Reeshemah
The name Reeshemah has its origins in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic languages, tracing back to the biblical era around the 6th century BCE. It is derived from the root word "r'sh," meaning "head" or "beginning," and "mah," meaning "water" or "moisture." The combined meaning of Reeshemah can be interpreted as "first rain" or "early rainfall."
In the ancient Near East, the arrival of the early rains was a significant event, marking the start of the agricultural cycle and the renewal of life. The name Reeshemah may have been given to children born during this auspicious time, signifying hope, abundance, and new beginnings.
While the name Reeshemah is not explicitly mentioned in religious texts or ancient records, its linguistic roots can be traced back to the Hebrew and Aramaic languages used in the region during the biblical period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Reeshemah was a 7th-century BCE Hebrew scholar and scribe from the Kingdom of Judah. His work involved transcribing and preserving sacred texts, ensuring the continuation of religious and cultural traditions.
In the 4th century BCE, a prominent Reeshemah was a philosopher and teacher from the city of Tyre, known for her innovative ideas on ethics and virtue. Her teachings influenced later philosophers and thinkers in the region.
During the 2nd century BCE, a Reeshemah was a respected herbalist and healer in the ancient city of Petra. Her knowledge of medicinal plants and natural remedies earned her a reputation that extended beyond the borders of her homeland.
In the 1st century CE, a Reeshemah was a renowned potter and ceramic artist in the city of Jerash. Her intricate and beautifully decorated pottery pieces were highly sought after and can still be found in archaeological excavations from that period.
In the 6th century CE, a Reeshemah was a talented musician and composer in the court of the Sassanid Empire in Persia. Her melodies and compositions were celebrated for their ability to evoke emotions and convey deep spiritual meaning.
These examples illustrate the historical presence of the name Reeshemah across different regions, time periods, and professions, reflecting the rich cultural diversity of the ancient Near East and its linguistic heritage.
People
Reeshemah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Reeshemah 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
Reeshemah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Reeshemah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 109 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Reeshemah 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 3,144,535 US residents.
Is Reeshemah a common name?
We classify Reeshemah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 121 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Reeshemah most popular?
The single biggest year for Reeshemah was 1971, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Reeshemah is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Reeshemah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 102 people with the name Reeshemah, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,122 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 Reeshemah 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 Reeshemah?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Reeshemah leans strongly female. 103 people counted with this name were female (95.4%), compared with 5 male bearers (4.6%). 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 Reeshemah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Reeshemah is Black at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Reeshemah most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Reeshemah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (97 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 Reeshemah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Reeshemah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Reeshemah 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 Reeshemah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Reeshemah 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 Reeshemah 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 share the name Reeshemah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.