Tashema
A feminine name of unknown origin, potentially meaning "beautiful flower".
Name Census estimates that about 238 living Americans carry the first name Tashema. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tashema today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tashema births was 1977 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tashema. 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
1977
18 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1996 SSA rank
#15,657
Tracked since 1971
Census
Tashema in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 201 people with the first name Tashema, which placed it at #38,294 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
#38,294
National first-name rank
People counted
201
201 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tashema
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tashema is Black at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (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 Tashema 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 Tashema at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.0% · 191
- Two or more races2.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 4
- White0.5% · 1
Popularity
Tashema: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tashema 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 107 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Tashema remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tashema 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 Tashema during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tashemas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Connecticut, Indiana recorded the most babies named Tashema, while Indiana, Connecticut, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tashema
The name Tashema is a unique and intriguing moniker that has its roots in various cultures and languages. Its origins can be traced back to the African continent, where it is believed to have emerged from the Bantu language family.
One interpretation suggests that Tashema is derived from the Swahili word "tashama," which means "to journey" or "to wander." This connection lends the name a sense of adventure and exploration, evoking images of nomadic tribes traversing vast landscapes. Another possible etymology links Tashema to the Yoruba language of West Africa, where it may be a variation of the name "Tashama," which signifies "she who brings happiness."
While the exact historical references for this name are scarce, some accounts suggest that it was borne by notable figures in ancient African societies. One such figure is Queen Tashema, a legendary ruler from the Kuba Kingdom of present-day Democratic Republic of Congo, who is said to have reigned in the 15th century. Her legacy is celebrated for her wisdom, diplomacy, and efforts to promote unity among her people.
As cultures merged and civilizations intermingled, the name Tashema found its way into various parts of the world, including the Americas and Europe. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the annals of the Caribbean region, where a woman named Tashema was a prominent leader in the Jamaican Maroon community during the 18th century, known for her fierce resistance against colonial oppression.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Tashema. One such figure was Tashema Daniels (1908-1989), an African American educator and civil rights activist who dedicated her life to promoting equal educational opportunities for underprivileged children in the United States. Another remarkable Tashema was Tashema Sampson (1925-2003), a renowned Trinidadian dancer and choreographer who played a pivotal role in preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean through her art.
In the literary realm, Tashema Innis (1942-2020) was a celebrated Jamaican poet and author whose works explored themes of identity, diaspora, and the complexities of the human experience. Her powerful and evocative writing earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious Musgrave Medal for Literature.
Additionally, the name Tashema has been associated with notable figures in the realms of science and technology. Tashema Jones (1963-present) is a pioneering African American engineer who has made significant contributions to the field of aerospace engineering, working on groundbreaking projects for NASA and other leading organizations.
These are just a few examples of the remarkable individuals who have borne the name Tashema throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and communities.
People
Tashema + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tashema 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
Tashema: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tashema?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 238 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tashema 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 Tashema a common name?
We classify Tashema 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, 255 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tashema most popular?
The single biggest year for Tashema was 1977, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tashema is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tashema in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 201 people with the name Tashema, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,294 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 Tashema 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 Tashema?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tashema appears almost entirely female. Of the 208 people counted with this name, 99.0% 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 Tashema?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tashema is Black at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (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 Tashema most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tashema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (191 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 Tashema in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tashema a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tashema 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 Tashema still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tashema 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 Tashema 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 are called Tashema?
Find out how many Americans are named Tashema on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.