Teneisha
Feminine name of undetermined origin, possibly from the Hebrew "teniah" meaning "comfort".
Name Census estimates that about 406 living Americans carry the first name Teneisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Teneisha today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Teneisha births was 1980 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Teneisha. 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
406
~ 1 in 844,223 Americans
Peak year
1980
30 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2004 SSA rank
#15,927
Tracked since 1973
Census
Teneisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 361 people with the first name Teneisha, which placed it at #26,014 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
#26,014
National first-name rank
People counted
361
361 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teneisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Teneisha is Black at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Teneisha 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 Teneisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.7% · 331
- White2.5% · 9
- Two or more races2.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 4
Popularity
Teneisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Teneisha from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 214 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
Teneisha 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 Teneisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Teneishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Georgia, Illinois, Michigan recorded the most babies named Teneisha, while Michigan, Illinois, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Teneisha
The name Teneisha is believed to have its origins in the African American culture, with roots tracing back to the late 20th century. It is a unique blend of various linguistic influences, drawing from both African and English naming traditions.
One theory suggests that Teneisha is derived from the Swahili word "tenesa," which means "to be soft" or "to be gentle." This connection to the concept of gentleness and tenderness could have influenced the creation of the name. Another possibility is that Teneisha is a modern invented name, combining elements from popular African American names like Tania, Nisha, and Keisha.
Despite its relatively recent emergence, the name Teneisha has gained widespread recognition and popularity within the African American community. It has been embraced as a strong and distinctive name, reflecting the cultural pride and identity of its bearers.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Teneisha. One of the earliest recorded examples is Teneisha Collins (born 1978), an American basketball player who played in the WNBA for teams like the Phoenix Mercury and the Houston Comets.
Another prominent figure is Teneisha Turrentine (born 1984), a former professional basketball player who represented the United States in international competitions and won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In the world of entertainment, Teneisha Renee Robinson (born 1985) is a singer and songwriter who has worked with various artists and released her own music. Her unique vocal style and artistic expression have gained her recognition in the music industry.
Teneisha Leinor (born 1987) is a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman who has made significant contributions to the field of marketing and branding. Her innovative strategies and entrepreneurial spirit have earned her respect and admiration.
Lastly, Teneisha Tate (born 1992) is a talented American track and field athlete who has excelled in the sprinting events. She has represented the United States in numerous international competitions and has won several medals, including gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
These individuals, along with many others, have helped to establish Teneisha as a powerful and meaningful name, carrying a sense of strength, resilience, and cultural identity.
People
Teneisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Teneisha 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
Teneisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Teneisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 406 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Teneisha 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 844,223 US residents.
Is Teneisha a common name?
We classify Teneisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 430 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Teneisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Teneisha was 1980, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Teneisha is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Teneisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 361 people with the name Teneisha, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,014 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 Teneisha 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 Teneisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Teneisha appears almost entirely female. Of the 359 people counted with this name, 99.4% 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 Teneisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Teneisha is Black at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Teneisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Teneisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (331 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 Teneisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Teneisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Teneisha 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 Teneisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Teneisha 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 Teneisha 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 Teneisha?
You can see how many Americans are named Teneisha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.