Canisha
A feminine name with unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 257 living Americans carry the first name Canisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Canisha today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Canisha births was 1991 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Canisha. 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
257
~ 1 in 1,333,674 Americans
Peak year
1991
36 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2001 SSA rank
#15,781
Tracked since 1972
Census
Canisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 240 people with the first name Canisha, which placed it at #34,133 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
#34,133
National first-name rank
People counted
240
240 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Canisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Canisha is Black at 89.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Canisha 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 Canisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.2% · 214
- White4.6% · 11
- Two or more races3.3% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 3
Popularity
Canisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Canisha from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 146 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Canisha 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 Canisha 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 Canisha
The name Canisha is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which was predominant in ancient India and parts of South Asia. It is a combination of two words, "Cani" meaning "beautiful" and "sha" meaning "woman" or "female." The name is thought to have emerged during the Vedic period, around 1500-500 BCE, when Sanskrit was the primary language used for religious and literary purposes.
One of the earliest known references to the name Canisha can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures, particularly the Upanishads, which are philosophical texts that form part of the Vedas. In these texts, the name is often used to represent an idealized feminine form, symbolizing beauty, grace, and virtue.
The first recorded individual with the name Canisha is believed to be a princess from the Maurya Empire, which ruled over a significant portion of the Indian subcontinent between 322 BCE and 185 BCE. Although historical records are scarce, she is said to have been renowned for her beauty and intelligence.
During the Gupta Empire, which flourished between the 4th and 6th centuries CE, the name Canisha gained further prominence. One notable figure from this period was Canisha Devi, a celebrated poet and scholar who composed several works celebrating the beauty and wisdom of women.
In the 9th century CE, a Buddhist nun named Canisha Bhikkhuni gained recognition for her teachings and her contributions to the spread of Buddhism across Southeast Asia. She is believed to have traveled extensively, sharing her knowledge and wisdom with numerous communities.
Another significant figure in history with the name Canisha was a Rajput princess from the 12th century CE. Canisha Kumari was known for her bravery and skill in battle, and she played a crucial role in defending her kingdom against invading forces.
Throughout the centuries, the name Canisha has remained a popular choice in various parts of South Asia, particularly in regions where Sanskrit and its influence have been strong. It continues to be associated with beauty, grace, and feminine virtues, making it a cherished name for parents seeking a name with profound cultural and historical significance.
People
Canisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Canisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Canisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Canisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 257 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Canisha 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 1,333,674 US residents.
Is Canisha a common name?
We classify Canisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 270 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Canisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Canisha was 1991, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Canisha is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Canisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 240 people with the name Canisha, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,133 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 Canisha 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 Canisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Canisha appears almost entirely female. Of the 246 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Canisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Canisha is Black at 89.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Canisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Canisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (214 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 Canisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Canisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Canisha 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 Canisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Canisha 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 Canisha 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 are named Canisha?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Canisha at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.