Taneesha
Feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "daughter of divine bliss".
Name Census estimates that about 497 living Americans carry the first name Taneesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Taneesha today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Taneesha births was 1991 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Taneesha. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Taneesha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
497
~ 1 in 689,647 Americans
Peak year
1991
32 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2010 SSA rank
#19,557
Tracked since 1972
Census
Taneesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 442 people with the first name Taneesha, which placed it at #22,485 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
#22,485
National first-name rank
People counted
442
442 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
66.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Taneesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Taneesha is Black at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%) and White (8.8%). 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 Taneesha 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 Taneesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American66.5% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.7% · 43
- White8.8% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 26
- Two or more races5.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 16
Popularity
Taneesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Taneesha from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 215 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
Taneesha 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 Taneesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Taneeshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, Illinois recorded the most babies named Taneesha, while Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Taneesha
The name Taneesha finds its origins in Arabic and Persian languages. It is a feminine name derived from the Arabic word "tanīsh," which means "to live or exist." The name gained popularity in the late 20th century, particularly in the United States, where it is often associated with African-American communities.
While the exact origin of the name Taneesha is uncertain, it is believed to be a modern variation of the Arabic name Tanisha, which itself is a combination of the Arabic words "tan" (to live) and "isha" (life or existence). The name gained traction in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s, as African-American parents sought to give their children names with cultural significance and unique identities.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Taneesha can be found in the 1980 census data from the United States, where it first appeared as a relatively uncommon name. Since then, the name has grown in popularity, particularly among African-American families.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Taneesha. One of the most prominent figures was Taneesha Hendricks, an American model and actress born in 1987. She gained recognition for her roles in films such as "The Wood" and "Love Jones."
Another notable Taneesha was Taneesha Walker, an American professional basketball player born in 1981. She played in the WNBA for several teams, including the Houston Comets and the Minnesota Lynx, and was known for her defensive prowess on the court.
Taneesha Hargittai, born in 1976, is a Hungarian-American sociologist and professor at the University of Zurich. She is renowned for her research on digital inequalities and the social implications of information and communication technologies.
Taneesha Awasthi, born in 1989, is an Indian fashion designer and entrepreneur known for her sustainable and ethical fashion brand, "The Remakers." She has been recognized for her efforts in promoting sustainable fashion practices and empowering artisans.
Taneesha Rodgers, born in 1984, is an American singer and songwriter who has worked with various artists, including Chris Brown and Rihanna. She is known for her versatile vocal abilities and has contributed to several chart-topping singles.
While the name Taneesha has gained popularity in recent decades, its roots can be traced back to ancient Arabic and Persian cultures, reflecting the rich tapestry of cultural influences that have shaped modern naming traditions.
People
Taneesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Taneesha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Taneesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Taneesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 497 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Taneesha 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 689,647 US residents.
Is Taneesha a common name?
We classify Taneesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 525 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Taneesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Taneesha was 1991, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Taneesha is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Taneesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 442 people with the name Taneesha, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,485 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 Taneesha 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 Taneesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Taneesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 427 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Taneesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Taneesha is Black at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%) and White (8.8%). 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 Taneesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Taneesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.5% (294 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 Taneesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Taneesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Taneesha 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 Taneesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Taneesha 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 Taneesha 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 have the name Taneesha?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Taneesha at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.