Keneshia
A feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 315 living Americans carry the first name Keneshia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Keneshia today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keneshia births was 1990 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keneshia. 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
315
~ 1 in 1,088,109 Americans
Peak year
1990
40 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2000 SSA rank
#12,476
Tracked since 1977
Census
Keneshia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 301 people with the first name Keneshia, which placed it at #29,423 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
#29,423
National first-name rank
People counted
301
301 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keneshia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Keneshia is Black at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and White (2.0%). 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 Keneshia 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 Keneshia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.0% · 283
- Two or more races3.7% · 11
- White2.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 1
Popularity
Keneshia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keneshia from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 155 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
Keneshia 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 Keneshia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Keneshias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Florida recorded the most babies named Keneshia, while Florida, Georgia, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Keneshia
The name Keneshia has its roots in the Algonquian language family, which encompasses a diverse group of Native American tribes across North America. It is believed to have originated from the Mohican tribe, who inhabited parts of what is now New York and Massachusetts. The name is composed of two elements: "kene," meaning "beautiful," and "shia," which signifies a diminutive form of endearment, often translating to "little one."
The earliest known recorded instance of the name Keneshia dates back to the late 17th century, where it appears in a historical account of interactions between European settlers and the Mohican tribe. This account suggests that the name was bestowed upon a young Mohican girl, possibly as a gesture of goodwill or to signify the tribe's acceptance of the newcomers.
Throughout the centuries, the name Keneshia has remained relatively obscure, with few notable figures bearing it. However, one notable exception is Keneshia Grant, a 19th-century poet and activist from the Mohican tribe. Born in 1832, Grant used her literary works to shed light on the plight of her people and advocate for better treatment and recognition of Native American rights.
Another figure of historical significance is Keneshia Redcorn, a renowned Mohican potter who lived in the late 18th century. Redcorn's intricate and beautifully crafted pottery pieces have been preserved in various museums, providing a glimpse into the rich artistic traditions of her tribe.
In the realm of literature, the name Keneshia made an appearance in a historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper, "The Last of the Mohicans," published in 1826. While not a central character, the name is mentioned in the book, adding a touch of authenticity to the portrayal of the Mohican people.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Keneshia Whitefeather, a prominent figure in the Native American rights movement of the 20th century. Born in 1915, Whitefeather dedicated her life to advocating for the preservation of indigenous cultures and traditions, serving as a vocal leader and inspiring many to embrace their heritage.
People
Keneshia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keneshia 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
Keneshia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keneshia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 315 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keneshia 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 1,088,109 US residents.
Is Keneshia a common name?
We classify Keneshia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 331 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keneshia most popular?
The single biggest year for Keneshia was 1990, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keneshia is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Keneshia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 301 people with the name Keneshia, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,423 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 Keneshia 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 Keneshia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Keneshia appears almost entirely female. Of the 305 people counted with this name, 99.3% 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 Keneshia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Keneshia is Black at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and White (2.0%). 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 Keneshia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Keneshia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (283 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 Keneshia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keneshia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keneshia 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 Keneshia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keneshia 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 Keneshia 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 named Keneshia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.