Darnesha
A feminine name with uncertain roots, potentially meaning "star" or "dawn".
Name Census estimates that about 507 living Americans carry the first name Darnesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Darnesha today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darnesha births was 1990 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darnesha. 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
507
~ 1 in 676,044 Americans
Peak year
1990
37 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2009 SSA rank
#12,719
Tracked since 1974
Census
Darnesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 437 people with the first name Darnesha, which placed it at #22,679 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
#22,679
National first-name rank
People counted
437
437 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darnesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darnesha is Black at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and White (0.9%). 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 Darnesha 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 Darnesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.2% · 416
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 11
- White0.9% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Darnesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darnesha 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 280 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Darnesha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darnesha 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 Darnesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darneshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Illinois, California, Alabama recorded the most babies named Darnesha, while Texas, Michigan, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Darnesha
The given name Darnesha is believed to have originated in the United States during the latter half of the 20th century. It is a relatively modern invention, likely derived from a combination of the English name Darnell and the suffix "-esha," which has roots in various African languages and cultures.
While the precise origins of Darnesha are unclear, it is thought to be a uniquely African American name that emerged as part of the Black Pride movement and the increasing popularity of non-traditional names within the African American community during the 1960s and 1970s. The name itself does not appear to have any direct historical or cultural references prior to its modern usage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Darnesha can be found in the 1970 United States Census, which listed a small number of individuals with this first name. However, it was not until the 1980s and 1990s that the name began to gain more widespread popularity, particularly among African American families.
Throughout its relatively short history, a few notable individuals have borne the name Darnesha. One of the earliest was Darnesha Wooten, an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics, specializing in the heptathlon and long jump events. Another prominent figure was Darnesha Ramone, an American singer and songwriter who rose to prominence in the early 2000s for her work in the R&B and neo-soul genres.
In the field of education, Darnesha Bowers made her mark as a respected educator and advocate for educational reform. She served as the principal of several schools in the Chicago area and was recognized for her efforts to improve academic achievement and create inclusive learning environments.
Darnesha Henderson, born in 1985, is a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman who founded a popular line of natural hair care products specifically tailored for women of color. Her company has been widely praised for its commitment to promoting self-love and empowerment within the African American community.
Finally, Darnesha Burnett, born in 1992, is a talented artist and illustrator whose work has been featured in various exhibitions and publications. Her vibrant and thought-provoking pieces often explore themes of identity, culture, and social justice, making her a prominent voice in the contemporary art world.
People
Darnesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darnesha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Darnesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darnesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 507 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darnesha 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 676,044 US residents.
Is Darnesha a common name?
We classify Darnesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 527 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darnesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Darnesha was 1990, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darnesha is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Darnesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 437 people with the name Darnesha, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,679 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 Darnesha 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 Darnesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Darnesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 435 people counted with this name, 99.8% 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 Darnesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darnesha is Black at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and White (0.9%). 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 Darnesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Darnesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (416 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 Darnesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Darnesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Darnesha 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 Darnesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Darnesha 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 Darnesha 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 Americans are named Darnesha?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.