Myeshia
A feminine name of African American origin meaning "supreme gift".
Name Census estimates that about 866 living Americans carry the first name Myeshia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Myeshia today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Myeshia births was 1991 (49 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Myeshia. 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
866
~ 1 in 395,790 Americans
Peak year
1991
49 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2007 SSA rank
#14,987
Tracked since 1972
Census
Myeshia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 712 people with the first name Myeshia, which placed it at #15,985 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
#15,985
National first-name rank
People counted
712
712 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Myeshia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myeshia is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.5%). 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 Myeshia 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 Myeshia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.8% · 675
- Two or more races2.0% · 14
- White1.5% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Myeshia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Myeshia 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 379 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
Myeshia 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 Myeshia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Myeshias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, Texas, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Myeshia, while South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Myeshia
The name Myeshia is of African American origin, tracing its roots back to the late 20th century. It is believed to be a modern invention, combining elements from various African languages and cultures. The prefix "Mye" is thought to be derived from the Yoruba word "ìyá," which means "mother," while the suffix "-shia" may be inspired by the Swahili word "shida," meaning "challenge" or "hardship."
This unique name gained popularity in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, reflecting the cultural pride and identity embraced by the African American community. It was often given to newborn girls as a way to celebrate their heritage and imbue them with strength and resilience.
While there are no known historical references or ancient texts mentioning the name Myeshia directly, its components can be traced back to various African traditions and belief systems. The concept of honoring motherhood and acknowledging the challenges faced by women resonates across many cultures.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Myeshia can be found in the 1990 United States Census, where it was listed as a first name, albeit with relatively low usage at the time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Myeshia, including:
1. Myeshia Johnson (born 1988), an American mother and widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in action in Niger in 2017. Her name gained national attention during a controversial phone call with former President Donald Trump.
2. Myeshia Price (born 1991), an American professional basketball player who played for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA.
3. Myeshia Strickland (born 1983), an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA and overseas.
4. Myeshia Myles (born 1985), an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA and overseas.
5. Myeshia Burgess (born 1989), an American writer and spoken word artist known for her work exploring themes of identity, race, and social justice.
While the name Myeshia is relatively modern, it carries deep cultural significance for the African American community, reflecting a desire to honor their roots and instill strength and resilience in their children.
People
Myeshia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Myeshia 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
Myeshia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Myeshia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 866 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Myeshia 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 395,790 US residents.
Is Myeshia a common name?
We classify Myeshia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 910 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Myeshia most popular?
The single biggest year for Myeshia was 1991, when 49 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Myeshia 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 Myeshia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 712 people with the name Myeshia, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,985 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 Myeshia 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 Myeshia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Myeshia appears almost entirely female. Of the 714 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 Myeshia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Myeshia is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.5%). 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 Myeshia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Myeshia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (675 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 Myeshia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Myeshia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Myeshia 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 Myeshia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Myeshia 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 Myeshia 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 share the name Myeshia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.