Katisha
A feminine name of Bantu origin meaning "born during a difficult time".
Name Census estimates that about 722 living Americans carry the first name Katisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Katisha today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katisha births was 1980 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katisha. 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 Katisha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
722
~ 1 in 474,729 Americans
Peak year
1980
55 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2001 SSA rank
#14,411
Tracked since 1971
Census
Katisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 583 people with the first name Katisha, which placed it at #18,471 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
#18,471
National first-name rank
People counted
583
583 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
77.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Katisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Katisha is Black at 77.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Hispanic (7.4%). 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 Katisha 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 Katisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.5% · 452
- White10.6% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 43
- Two or more races2.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Popularity
Katisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katisha from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 313 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Katisha 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 Katisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Katishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, Texas, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Katisha, while California, New Jersey, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Katisha
The name Katisha has its origins in the Russian language and culture, with roots dating back to the 17th century. It is derived from the Russian word "katit'," which means "to roll" or "to move along." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been associated with concepts of motion, journey, or progress.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Katisha can be found in the writings of the renowned Russian poet and playwright, Alexander Pushkin. In his seminal work, "Eugene Onegin," published in 1833, a character named Katisha is mentioned, though her role is relatively minor.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Katisha. One such figure was Katisha Romanova (1792-1856), a Russian noblewoman and philanthropist who dedicated her life to establishing orphanages and supporting the education of underprivileged children.
In the realm of literature, Katisha Golitsyna (1810-1884) was a celebrated Russian writer and poet whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her poetry collection, "Whispers of the Heart," published in 1848, garnered critical acclaim and remains a cherished part of Russia's literary heritage.
The name Katisha also found its way into the world of music through the life of Katisha Petrova (1865-1935), a renowned Russian soprano who captivated audiences across Europe with her powerful and emotive performances. Her interpretations of operatic roles by composers like Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov are still revered by music enthusiasts today.
Another notable figure was Katisha Kuznetsova (1901-1978), a pioneering Russian scientist who made significant contributions to the field of biochemistry. Her groundbreaking research on enzymes and their role in metabolic processes laid the foundation for many subsequent discoveries in the field.
While the name Katisha was predominantly used in Russia during its early history, it has since gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in Eastern Europe and parts of Asia. However, its origins and deep-rooted cultural connections remain firmly rooted in the rich tapestry of Russian history and tradition.
People
Katisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Katisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 722 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katisha 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 474,729 US residents.
Is Katisha a common name?
We classify Katisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 774 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Katisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Katisha was 1980, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katisha is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Katisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 583 people with the name Katisha, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,471 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 Katisha 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 Katisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Katisha appears almost entirely female. Of the 578 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 Katisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Katisha is Black at 77.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Hispanic (7.4%). 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 Katisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Katisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (452 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 Katisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Katisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Katisha 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 Katisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Katisha 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 Katisha 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 are called Katisha?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Katisha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.