Yanesha
An indigenous name of Peru meaning "the people from the arid plateau".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Yanesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yanesha today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yanesha births was 2002 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yanesha. 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 Yanesha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2002
7 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2002 SSA rank
#13,553
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Yanesha: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Yanesha 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 Yanesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Yanesha
The name Yanesha has its origins in the Amuesha language, spoken by the indigenous Yanesha people of Peru. The Yanesha, also known as the Amuesha, are an Amazonian ethnic group located primarily in the central jungles of Peru's Palcazu and Pichis valleys.
Yanesha is believed to be derived from the Amuesha word "yanesh," which means "human being" or "people." It is a name that reflects the strong connection between the Yanesha people and their identity as the original inhabitants of the Peruvian Amazon region.
The earliest recorded use of the name Yanesha dates back to the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors and missionaries first encountered the Yanesha people during their exploration and colonization of the Americas. Historical accounts from this period mention the name and provide insights into the culture and way of life of the Yanesha people.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Yanesha was Yanesha Chankiri, a renowned Yanesha leader and warrior who lived in the late 16th century. Chankiri led resistance efforts against Spanish colonization and fought to protect the lands and traditions of his people.
In the 19th century, Yanesha Romayna gained recognition as a skilled artisan and craftswoman. Her intricate weavings and pottery were highly sought after and helped preserve the traditional crafts of the Yanesha people.
Another notable figure was Yanesha Kemito, a respected Yanesha shaman and healer who lived in the early 20th century. Kemito was renowned for his vast knowledge of medicinal plants and his ability to communicate with the spiritual realm.
Yanesha Katsari, born in 1925, was a pioneering educator who established the first school in her Yanesha community. She dedicated her life to promoting education and preserving the Yanesha language and cultural heritage.
Yanesha Itsari, born in 1942, is a contemporary Yanesha activist and leader. She has been a vocal advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples and has worked tirelessly to protect the Yanesha's ancestral lands from deforestation and exploitation.
While the name Yanesha is deeply rooted in the Amuesha culture, it has also gained recognition beyond the Peruvian Amazon region. Its meaning and connection to the indigenous Yanesha people have made it a symbol of cultural pride and identity.
People
Yanesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yanesha 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
Yanesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yanesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yanesha 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Yanesha a common name?
We classify Yanesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yanesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Yanesha was 2002, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yanesha is about 24 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 Yanesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yanesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yanesha 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 Yanesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yanesha 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 Yanesha 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 many people are called Yanesha?
Find out how many people share the name Yanesha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.