Niasha
A feminine name with origins in India and Arabic, meaning "night beauty".
Name Census estimates that about 174 living Americans carry the first name Niasha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Niasha today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Niasha births was 1994 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Niasha. 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
174
~ 1 in 1,969,853 Americans
Peak year
1994
17 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2008 SSA rank
#16,902
Tracked since 1978
Census
Niasha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 210 people with the first name Niasha, which placed it at #37,260 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
#37,260
National first-name rank
People counted
210
210 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
78.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Niasha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Niasha is Black at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Niasha 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 Niasha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.6% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 22
- Two or more races6.2% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 4
- White1.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 3
Popularity
Niasha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Niasha 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 88 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Niasha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Niasha 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 Niasha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Niashas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Niasha
The name Niasha has its origins rooted in the ancient Sanskrit language of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the word "nisha," which translates to "night" or "darkness." This name was prevalent in the regions of modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh during the early centuries of the Common Era.
Niasha finds mentions in some of the oldest Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Vedas and the Puranas. It was often associated with deities and characters related to the night, moonlight, or celestial bodies. The name held symbolic significance, representing the mysteries of the universe and the cyclical nature of life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Niasha can be traced back to the 5th century CE. Queen Niasha, the wife of the Gupta Empire ruler Kumaragupta I, was a prominent figure known for her patronage of the arts and literature. Her name is engraved on various inscriptions and coins from that era.
In the 8th century CE, Niasha Bhattacharya, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet, made significant contributions to the field of linguistics and literature. Her works, including the celebrated text "Naishadha Kavya," are studied and revered to this day.
During the Chola dynasty in the 11th century, Princess Niasha Devi was a celebrated figure known for her bravery and military prowess. She played a crucial role in several battles and is depicted in various historical accounts and inscriptions from that period.
In the 14th century, Niasha Rajan, a prominent artist and sculptor, gained recognition for her intricate and exquisite stone carvings adorning various temples and monuments in the southern regions of India. Her creations showcased the beauty and richness of the region's cultural heritage.
Centuries later, in the late 19th century, Niasha Tara was a pioneering educator and social reformer who fought for women's education and empowerment in Bengal. Her efforts paved the way for many generations of women to pursue their aspirations and break free from societal constraints.
Throughout history, the name Niasha has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and societies. While the name's origins can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit roots, its meaning and significance have evolved over time, reflecting the cultural richness and diversity of the Indian subcontinent.
People
Niasha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Niasha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Niasha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Niasha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 174 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Niasha 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 1,969,853 US residents.
Is Niasha a common name?
We classify Niasha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 180 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Niasha most popular?
The single biggest year for Niasha was 1994, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Niasha is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Niasha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 210 people with the name Niasha, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,260 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 Niasha 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 Niasha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Niasha appears almost entirely female. Of the 215 people counted with this name, 99.1% 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 Niasha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Niasha is Black at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Niasha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Niasha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (165 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 Niasha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Niasha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Niasha 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 Niasha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Niasha 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 Niasha 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 Niasha as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.