Fantasha
A fanciful feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly combining elements of "fantasy" and "tasha".
Name Census estimates that about 62 living Americans carry the first name Fantasha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fantasha today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fantasha births was 1994 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fantasha. 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 Fantasha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
62
~ 1 in 5,528,296 Americans
Peak year
1994
10 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2004 SSA rank
#14,748
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Fantasha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fantasha from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 46 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
Fantasha 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 Fantasha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fantashas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fantasha
The name Fantasha is believed to have originated from the Yoruba language, spoken by the Yoruba people of West Africa, primarily in modern-day Nigeria. The name itself is a combination of two Yoruba words, "fan" meaning "to embrace" and "tasha" meaning "prosperity" or "wealth."
In Yoruba culture, names often carry deep symbolic meaning and are chosen to reflect the hopes and aspirations of parents for their children. The name Fantasha is thought to convey the wish for the child to embrace and enjoy a life of abundance and prosperity.
The earliest known recorded use of the name Fantasha dates back to the 16th century, during the height of the Oyo Empire, a powerful Yoruba kingdom that controlled much of present-day southwestern Nigeria. However, its usage may have been more widespread among the Yoruba people before written records were kept.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Fantasha was a renowned Yoruba trader and merchant from the city of Oyo in the late 17th century. Her success in business dealings and her influential role in the local community helped popularize the name among the Yoruba people.
Another notable figure in history with the name Fantasha was a powerful female ruler of the Egbado kingdom, a sub-group of the Yoruba people, in the early 19th century. She was known for her strong leadership and her efforts to maintain the autonomy of her people in the face of external threats.
In the late 19th century, a Yoruba woman named Fantasha gained recognition for her work as a midwife and healer in her local community. Her expertise in traditional medicine and her compassionate care for mothers and newborns made her a respected figure among her people.
In the early 20th century, a Yoruba woman named Fantasha became one of the first female entrepreneurs in her region, establishing a successful business exporting local crafts and goods to international markets.
Another notable figure with the name Fantasha was a Yoruba artist and sculptor in the mid-20th century, whose intricate woodcarvings and sculptures depicting traditional Yoruba themes and mythology gained widespread recognition and appreciation.
While the name Fantasha has its roots in the Yoruba culture of West Africa, it has since gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly among those with African or Caribbean heritage, as a unique and meaningful name choice.
People
Fantasha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fantasha 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
Fantasha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fantasha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 62 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fantasha 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 5,528,296 US residents.
Is Fantasha a common name?
We classify Fantasha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 64 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fantasha most popular?
The single biggest year for Fantasha was 1994, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fantasha is about 33 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 Fantasha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fantasha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fantasha 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 Fantasha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fantasha 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 Fantasha 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 have Fantasha as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.