Telisa
A coined name perhaps derived from the Greek word "telos" meaning "end."
Name Census estimates that about 985 living Americans carry the first name Telisa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Telisa today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Telisa births was 1973 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Telisa. 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
985
~ 1 in 347,974 Americans
Peak year
1973
47 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2007 SSA rank
#17,453
Tracked since 1956
Census
Telisa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 864 people with the first name Telisa, which placed it at #13,832 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
#13,832
National first-name rank
People counted
864
864 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
57.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Telisa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Telisa is Black at 57.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Telisa 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 Telisa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.4% · 496
- White32.9% · 284
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 28
- Two or more races3.2% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 7
Popularity
Telisa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Telisa from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 335 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
Telisa 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 Telisa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Telisas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Georgia, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Telisa, while New York, Alabama, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Telisa
The name Telisa is believed to have originated from the Greek language, with its roots traced back to the ancient Greek word "telos," which means "end" or "goal." This name is thought to have emerged around the 5th century BCE, during the classical period of ancient Greek civilization.
In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled as "Telissa" or "Telesia," reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations in pronunciation. The name's connection to the word "telos" suggests it may have been bestowed upon individuals with a sense of purpose or determination, or perhaps those born at the end of a significant event or period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Telisa can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a woman named Telisa in his work "The Histories," which was written in the 5th century BCE. This work is considered one of the earliest historical accounts of the Greco-Persian Wars and provides valuable insights into the ancient Greek world.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Telisa. One such figure was Telisa of Argos, a celebrated poet and musician who lived in the 3rd century BCE. Her works, though now lost, were highly regarded in her time, and she was known for her contributions to the literary and artistic life of ancient Greece.
Another notable Telisa was a Byzantine noblewoman who lived in the 11th century CE. She was a member of the influential Doukas family and played a significant role in the political intrigues of the Byzantine court during the reign of Emperor Michael VII Doukas.
In the realm of religion, there is a record of a Saint Telisa who lived in the 4th century CE. She was a Christian martyr who faced persecution for her faith during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Her unwavering devotion and sacrifice have been celebrated by various Christian denominations over the centuries.
During the Renaissance period, a woman named Telisa Brancaccio gained recognition as a prominent patron of the arts in 16th-century Italy. She commissioned works from renowned artists such as Raphael and Michelangelo, contributing to the flourishing of the arts during this culturally rich era.
Another notable figure was Telisa Conyers, an English writer and philosopher who lived in the 17th century. Her works explored themes of reason, morality, and the nature of humanity, earning her a place among the intellectual luminaries of her time.
People
Telisa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Telisa 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
Telisa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Telisa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 985 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Telisa 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 347,974 US residents.
Is Telisa a common name?
We classify Telisa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,097 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Telisa most popular?
The single biggest year for Telisa was 1973, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Telisa is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Telisa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 864 people with the name Telisa, or 0.29 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,832 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 Telisa 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 Telisa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Telisa appears almost entirely female. Of the 862 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 Telisa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Telisa is Black at 57.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Telisa most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Telisa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.4% (496 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 Telisa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Telisa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Telisa 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 Telisa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Telisa 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 Telisa 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 Telisa?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.