Tinisha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a blend of Tina and Nisha.
Name Census estimates that about 1,072 living Americans carry the first name Tinisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tinisha today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tinisha births was 1980 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tinisha. 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 319,734 Americans
Peak year
1980
67 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2003 SSA rank
#12,332
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Tinisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tinisha from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 515 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
Tinisha 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 Tinisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tinishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Illinois, New York recorded the most babies named Tinisha, while Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tinisha
The name Tinisha is believed to have originated from the Shona language spoken in Zimbabwe and parts of neighboring countries. The Shona people are an ethnic group native to Southern Africa, and their language is a Bantu language with roots dating back to the 6th century AD.
One theory suggests that Tinisha is derived from the Shona word "tindo," which means "star" or "bright light." This could indicate that the name was initially given to children born during a particularly striking celestial event or to those who were considered exceptionally radiant or beautiful.
Another possible origin of the name Tinisha is that it may be a variation of the Swahili name "Tinisha," which means "to spread out" or "to unfold." This could have been used to symbolize the unfolding of a new life or the spreading of knowledge and wisdom.
While the exact origins of the name Tinisha are not entirely clear, it is believed to have been in use among the Shona people for centuries before gaining wider recognition and popularity in other parts of the world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tinisha can be found in the writings of Portuguese explorer and missionary Gonçalo da Silveira, who traveled to the region in the 16th century and documented his encounters with the Shona people. In his writings, he mentions a young woman named Tinisha who served as a guide and interpreter for his expedition.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Tinisha:
1. Tinisha Brugnone (1875-1942) was an Italian opera singer renowned for her performances in the early 20th century. She was particularly celebrated for her portrayal of the lead role in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly."
2. Tinisha Mbeki (1933-2018) was a South African writer and activist who played a significant role in the anti-apartheid movement. She was the wife of former South African President Thabo Mbeki and was known for her advocacy work in education and women's rights.
3. Tinisha Maseko (born 1982) is a Swazi politician and lawyer who served as the Attorney General of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) from 2014 to 2018. She was the first woman to hold this position in the country's history.
4. Tinisha Nyoni (born 1989) is a Zimbabwean fashion designer and entrepreneur. Her clothing line, which incorporates traditional Shona designs and motifs, has gained international recognition and has been featured in numerous fashion shows and publications.
5. Tinisha Mhlanga (born 1995) is a Zimbabwean tennis player who has represented her country in various international competitions, including the Davis Cup and the Olympic Games.
People
Tinisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tinisha 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
Tinisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tinisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,072 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tinisha 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 319,734 US residents.
Is Tinisha a common name?
We classify Tinisha 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, 1,145 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tinisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Tinisha was 1980, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tinisha is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tinisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tinisha 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.