Makisha
A feminine name of African American origin meaning "she who delivers".
Name Census estimates that about 413 living Americans carry the first name Makisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Makisha today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Makisha births was 1974 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Makisha. 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 Makisha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
413
~ 1 in 829,914 Americans
Peak year
1974
48 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1994 SSA rank
#12,764
Tracked since 1973
Census
Makisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 379 people with the first name Makisha, which placed it at #25,119 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
#25,119
National first-name rank
People counted
379
379 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
72.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Makisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makisha is Black at 72.6%. The next largest groups are White (14.2%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Makisha 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 Makisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.6% · 275
- White14.2% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 25
- Two or more races4.2% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 9
Popularity
Makisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Makisha from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 224 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Makisha 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 Makisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Makishas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, New York, Connecticut recorded the most babies named Makisha, while Texas, North Carolina, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Makisha
The name Makisha is a relatively modern invention, likely stemming from a combination of the African name Makeda and the English name Keisha. Its origins can be traced back to the late 20th century, emerging as a unique and creative choice for parents seeking a name with a distinct cultural flair.
While the name Makisha itself may not have ancient roots, its components hold historical significance. Makeda is a name closely associated with the Queen of Sheba, a powerful and celebrated figure in African and Middle Eastern mythology. The name Keisha, on the other hand, is a variant of the Irish name Keighley, which means "fertile meadow."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Makisha can be found in birth records from the 1970s and 1980s, primarily in the United States. During this period, there was a growing appreciation for African-American culture and a desire to embrace names that reflected this heritage.
While the name Makisha may not have a long historical lineage, it has been borne by several notable individuals throughout recent decades. One of the earliest prominent figures to carry this name was Makisha Toney, an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games.
Another notable Makisha is Makisha Boothe, a Canadian-born actress and singer who has appeared in various television shows and films, including "Fatherhood" and "The Umbrella Academy." She was born in 1985 and continues to make her mark in the entertainment industry.
In the world of sports, Makisha Lewis is a former American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA and overseas leagues. She was born in 1983 and had a successful career spanning several years.
The literary world also boasts a Makisha in the form of Makisha Mirandon, an American author and spoken word artist. She has published several works of poetry and prose, exploring themes of identity, culture, and social justice.
Finally, Makisha Dorsey is an American entrepreneur and fashion designer who founded the clothing line "Makisha Dorsey Designs." Born in 1981, she has gained recognition for her unique and stylish creations, blending contemporary designs with cultural influences.
While the name Makisha may not have a long, storied history, it has undoubtedly carved out a unique niche in the realm of modern names, carrying with it a blend of cultural influences and a sense of individuality.
People
Makisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Makisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Makisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Makisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 413 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Makisha 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 829,914 US residents.
Is Makisha a common name?
We classify Makisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 446 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Makisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Makisha was 1974, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Makisha is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Makisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 379 people with the name Makisha, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,119 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 Makisha 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 Makisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Makisha appears almost entirely female. Of the 384 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Makisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Makisha is Black at 72.6%. The next largest groups are White (14.2%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Makisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Makisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (275 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 Makisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Makisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Makisha 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 Makisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Makisha 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 Makisha 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 the name Makisha?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.