Isha
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "lord" or "ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 4,870 living Americans carry the first name Isha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Isha today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Isha births was 2023 (209 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Isha. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Isha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.9K
~ 1 in 70,381 Americans
Peak year
2023
209 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,202
Tracked since 1960
Census
Isha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,530 people with the first name Isha, which placed it at #3,674 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
#3,674
National first-name rank
People counted
5.5K
5,530 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
60.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Isha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and White (5.1%). 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 Isha 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 Isha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander60.1% · 3,322
- Black or African American26.2% · 1,451
- White5.1% · 282
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 280
- Two or more races2.9% · 158
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 37
Popularity
Isha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Isha from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,575 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Isha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Isha 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 Isha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Isha, while Oregon, Missouri, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 147 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Isha
The name Isha has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that was widely used in the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit root word "ish," which means lord, master, or ruler. The name Isha, therefore, carries the meaning of "ruler" or "lord."
In Hindu mythology, Isha is one of the names used to refer to the supreme deity, Lord Shiva. It is mentioned in several ancient Hindu texts, such as the Upanishads and the Puranas. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad, for example, mentions Isha as an all-pervading and all-powerful being who is the source of all creation.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Isha can be found in the Rigveda, one of the oldest sacred texts in Hinduism, dating back to around 1500-1200 BCE. In the Rigveda, Isha is described as a divine being who bestows blessings and protection upon devotees.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Isha. One of the most famous was Isha Upanishad, a revered Hindu sage and philosopher who lived around the 8th century BCE and is credited with authoring the eponymous Upanishad, a sacred Hindu text.
Another notable figure was Isha Sarasvati (c. 1835-1918), a renowned Indian philosopher and spiritual leader who founded the Shanti Ashram, a prominent center for the study of Vedic philosophy and meditation.
In the realm of literature, Isha Shrestha (1925-2007) was a celebrated Nepali writer and poet, known for her contributions to the Nepali literary canon and her advocacy for women's rights.
Isha Ambani (born 1991) is a prominent figure in the Indian business world, serving as a director of the Reliance Industries conglomerate, which was founded by her father, Mukesh Ambani.
Isha Sesay (born 1976) is a British journalist and author, best known for her work as a correspondent and anchor for CNN, covering major global events and reporting from various conflict zones.
While the name Isha has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu culture, it has transcended its origins and gained popularity across various regions and cultures, with people from diverse backgrounds adopting it for its unique and meaningful connotations.
People
Isha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Isha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Isha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Isha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,870 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Isha 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 70,381 US residents.
Is Isha a common name?
We classify Isha as "Rare". It ranks above 96.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,974 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Isha most popular?
The single biggest year for Isha was 2023, when 209 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Isha is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Isha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,530 people with the name Isha, or 1.83 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,674 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 Isha 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 Isha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Isha leans strongly female. 5,444 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 81 male bearers (1.5%). 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 Isha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Isha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and White (5.1%). 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 Isha most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Isha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (3,322 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 Isha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Isha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Isha 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 Isha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Isha 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 Isha 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 Isha as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Isha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.