Roshanda
A feminine name possibly of African origin, meaning unknown.
Name Census estimates that about 1,074 living Americans carry the first name Roshanda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Roshanda today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roshanda births was 1979 (78 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roshanda. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 319,138 Americans
Peak year
1979
78 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2001 SSA rank
#10,831
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Roshanda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roshanda from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 512 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
Roshanda 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 Roshanda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Roshandas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, Illinois, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Roshanda, while Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 47 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Roshanda
The name Roshanda is a modern American name that emerged in the 20th century. Its origins are not clear, but it is believed to be a combination of the names Rose and Shanda or a variation of the name Rosalinda.
While the name Roshanda does not have a long historical lineage, it gained popularity in the late 20th century, particularly in African American communities. Some speculate that the name may have been influenced by the Swahili word "rushanda," which means "prosperous" or "wealthy."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roshanda was in the 1960s. Roshanda Terrell, an American actress and singer, was born in 1963 and appeared in several films and television shows in the 1980s and 1990s.
Another notable individual with the name Roshanda was Roshanda Franklin, an American basketball player who played for the University of South Carolina in the late 1990s. She was a standout player and helped lead her team to several successful seasons.
In the field of law, Roshanda Wilkerson made her mark as a prominent attorney and legal scholar. Born in the 1970s, she has worked extensively in the areas of civil rights and social justice, serving as a professor at various law schools.
Roshanda Newsome, born in the 1980s, is a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman. She founded a successful hair care company, catering to the needs of women with diverse hair textures and styles.
In the world of sports, Roshanda Bercier was a standout track and field athlete in the early 2000s. She specialized in sprinting events and represented the United States in several international competitions, winning multiple medals.
While the name Roshanda may not have ancient roots, it has become a popular and meaningful name for many individuals, particularly in the African American community, reflecting their cultural identity and aspirations.
People
Roshanda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roshanda 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
Roshanda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roshanda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,074 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roshanda 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 319,138 US residents.
Is Roshanda a common name?
We classify Roshanda as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,163 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roshanda most popular?
The single biggest year for Roshanda was 1979, when 78 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roshanda is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Roshanda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roshanda 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.