Jamesha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a blend of James and Isha.
Name Census estimates that about 2,201 living Americans carry the first name Jamesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jamesha today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamesha births was 1994 (151 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamesha. 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
2.2K
~ 1 in 155,727 Americans
Peak year
1994
151 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2017 SSA rank
#11,070
Tracked since 1974
Census
Jamesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,698 people with the first name Jamesha, which placed it at #8,534 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
#8,534
National first-name rank
People counted
1.7K
1,698 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jamesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamesha is Black at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.3%). 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 Jamesha 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 Jamesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.0% · 1,613
- Two or more races2.1% · 36
- White1.3% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
Popularity
Jamesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamesha from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 1,242 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
Jamesha 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 Jamesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jameshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. Florida, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Jamesha, while Kentucky, Indiana, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 69 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jamesha
Jamesha is a given name with origins that can be traced back to the African-American community in the United States. It is believed to have emerged as a combination of the names James and Keisha, with the latter being a derivation of the Hebrew name Akeisha or Keisha.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Jamesha dates back to the late 20th century, particularly in regions with a significant African-American population. While its exact origin is uncertain, it is speculated that the name was created by blending the traditional male name James with the female name Keisha, possibly to create a unique and culturally resonant name for girls.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Jamesha. One such person is Jamesha Caldwell, an American rapper and songwriter born in 1990 in St. Louis, Missouri. She is known for her contributions to the hip-hop and R&B genres.
Another individual named Jamesha is Jamesha Youngblood, an American basketball player who played for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team from 2014 to 2018. She was a standout player during her college career and helped lead her team to success.
Jamesha Byers is an American entrepreneur and business owner who founded a successful hair and beauty products company. Her company has gained recognition for its innovative and inclusive approach to haircare.
Jamesha Toney is an American actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films. She is known for her roles in independent and experimental projects, showcasing her versatility as a performer.
Jamesha Patterson is an American activist and community organizer who has dedicated her efforts to advocating for social justice and addressing issues of racial inequality. Her work has been recognized by various organizations and institutions.
While the name Jamesha may not have a long and storied history like some ancient names, its origins and widespread usage within the African-American community have imbued it with cultural significance and a unique identity. As a relatively modern name, its presence continues to evolve and shape the diverse tapestry of names in contemporary society.
People
Jamesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamesha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jamesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,201 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamesha 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 155,727 US residents.
Is Jamesha a common name?
We classify Jamesha as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,274 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamesha was 1994, when 151 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamesha is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jamesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,698 people with the name Jamesha, or 0.56 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,534 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 Jamesha 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 Jamesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jamesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,697 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Jamesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamesha is Black at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.3%). 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 Jamesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jamesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (1,613 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 Jamesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jamesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jamesha 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 Jamesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jamesha 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 Jamesha 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 Jamesha?
Want to know how many Americans are named Jamesha? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.