Falesha
A feminine name perhaps derived from the Arabic word "falah" meaning success or prosperity.
Name Census estimates that about 154 living Americans carry the first name Falesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Falesha today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Falesha births was 1989 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Falesha. 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
154
~ 1 in 2,225,678 Americans
Peak year
1989
12 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1996 SSA rank
#12,330
Tracked since 1970
Census
Falesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 164 people with the first name Falesha, which placed it at #43,191 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
#43,191
National first-name rank
People counted
164
164 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
51.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Falesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Falesha is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Falesha 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 Falesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.2% · 84
- White39.6% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 7
- Two or more races3.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 3
Popularity
Falesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Falesha from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 59 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Falesha 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 Falesha 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 Falesha
The name Falesha is believed to have originated in the African region, specifically in the Bantu languages spoken across various parts of sub-Saharan Africa. It is a combination of two words, "fale" and "sha," which together translate to "one who brings happiness" or "the bearer of joy."
The earliest known usage of the name Falesha can be traced back to the 16th century when it was documented in historical records from the Kingdom of Kongo, an ancient African kingdom that spanned parts of modern-day Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. During this period, the name was primarily given to female children born into noble or royal families, as it was believed to signify the joy and happiness their birth brought to the kingdom.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Falesha was a princess of the Kingdom of Kongo in the late 16th century. Unfortunately, historical records do not provide her exact birth and death dates, but she is mentioned in several chronicles of the time as a prominent figure in the royal court.
In the 18th century, there is a record of a Falesha who was a respected healer and herbalist in the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was located in present-day Benin. She is said to have been renowned for her expertise in traditional African medicine and her ability to bring comfort and relief to those suffering from various ailments.
During the 19th century, the name Falesha gained some recognition outside of Africa. In 1832, a young woman by the name of Falesha was brought to the United States as part of the transatlantic slave trade. Despite the harsh conditions she endured, historical accounts describe her as a resilient and joyful individual who brought hope and happiness to those around her, even in the face of adversity.
Another notable figure with the name Falesha was a South African activist and educator born in 1901. She dedicated her life to fighting for equal rights and better educational opportunities for Black South Africans during the apartheid era. Her unwavering commitment to social justice and her ability to inspire others earned her the respect and admiration of many.
Throughout history, the name Falesha has been associated with themes of joy, happiness, and resilience, often reflecting the strength and perseverance of those who bore it in the face of challenging circumstances. While its origins can be traced back to Africa, the name has transcended cultural boundaries and continues to be cherished by families around the world.
People
Falesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Falesha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Falesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Falesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 154 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Falesha 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 2,225,678 US residents.
Is Falesha a common name?
We classify Falesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 165 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Falesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Falesha was 1989, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Falesha is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Falesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 164 people with the name Falesha, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #43,191 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 Falesha 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 Falesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Falesha leans strongly female. 176 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 2 male bearers (1.1%). 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 Falesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Falesha is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Falesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Falesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.2% (84 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 Falesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Falesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Falesha 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 Falesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Falesha 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 Falesha 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 have Falesha as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.