Yakeisha
A feminine name derived from the West African language Yoruba, meaning "full" or "plentiful."
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Yakeisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yakeisha today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yakeisha births was 1978 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yakeisha. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yakeisha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1978
7 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1980 SSA rank
#12,134
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Yakeisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yakeisha from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Yakeisha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yakeisha 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 Yakeisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Yakeisha
The name Yakeisha is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the late 20th century within African American communities in the United States. It does not appear to have a direct linguistic origin or root meaning. Instead, it seems to be a creative combination of sounds and syllables that was coined as a unique name during the rise of innovative baby naming practices.
Some linguists have speculated that the name Yakeisha may be a blend of the more traditional names Yakira and Keisha, both of which have Hebrew and African roots respectively. However, there is no definitive evidence to support this theory, and the name's true origins remain uncertain.
While the name Yakeisha is a recent creation, there are a few notable individuals throughout history who have borne this name. One of the earliest recorded instances is Yakeisha Robinson, an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, specializing in the triple jump.
Another notable Yakeisha is Yakeisha Ward, an American basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Minnesota Lynx and the Atlanta Dream between 2007 and 2011. Ward was born in 1984 and had a successful collegiate career at the University of Memphis before turning professional.
In the world of music, there is Yakeisha Mingo, an American singer and songwriter who gained popularity in the early 2000s with her R&B and pop releases. Mingo's debut album, "Yakeisha," was released in 2003 and featured her hit single "Make It Hot."
Yakeisha S. Jones is an American author and educator known for her work in children's literature and her efforts to promote diversity and representation in publishing. Jones has written several critically acclaimed books, including "Brave. Black. First." and "Life Don't Really Frighten Me."
Finally, Yakeisha Weston is a British entrepreneur and fashion designer who founded the clothing line "Yakeisha London" in the late 2010s. Her brand focuses on sustainable and ethical fashion, featuring bold designs and vibrant prints inspired by her Caribbean heritage.
While the name Yakeisha is a modern creation without a long historical lineage, it has gained popularity and recognition in recent decades, particularly within African American communities. As with many contemporary names, its unique sound and lack of direct etymological roots have contributed to its distinctiveness and appeal.
People
Yakeisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yakeisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yakeisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yakeisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yakeisha 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Yakeisha a common name?
We classify Yakeisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yakeisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Yakeisha was 1978, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yakeisha is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Yakeisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yakeisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yakeisha 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 Yakeisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yakeisha 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 Yakeisha 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Yakeisha?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Yakeisha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.