Takesha
An English feminine name of uncertain meaning and origin.
Name Census estimates that about 908 living Americans carry the first name Takesha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Takesha today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Takesha births was 1979 (80 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Takesha. 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
908
~ 1 in 377,483 Americans
Peak year
1979
80 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1999 SSA rank
#14,237
Tracked since 1971
Census
Takesha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 712 people with the first name Takesha, 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
92.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Takesha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Takesha is Black at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and White (2.5%). 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 Takesha 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 Takesha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.6% · 659
- Two or more races3.1% · 22
- White2.5% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 5
Popularity
Takesha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Takesha 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 439 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
Takesha 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 Takesha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Takeshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Illinois, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Takesha, while Pennsylvania, Missouri, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Takesha
The name Takesha has its origins in the Xhosa language, a Bantu language spoken by the Xhosa people of South Africa. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the 18th or 19th century, although its precise etymology is uncertain. Some scholars suggest it may be derived from the Xhosa word "takesa," which means "to carry" or "to bear," possibly referring to the act of carrying a child.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Takesha began to appear in historical records and documents related to the Xhosa people. It was often given to newborn girls, although its popularity and usage varied across different regions and communities.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Takesha was a Xhosa woman born in the late 1800s, who was a respected healer and midwife in her community. Unfortunately, historical records from that time often did not include detailed biographical information about ordinary individuals.
As the 20th century progressed, the name Takesha became more widely known and used outside of the Xhosa community. In the 1960s, a South African singer and actress named Takesha Mhlongo gained popularity for her performances in various plays and musicals. She was born in 1942 and is still remembered for her contributions to the arts in South Africa.
Another notable figure with the name Takesha was a Xhosa activist and community leader named Takesha Ngxongo, who was born in 1927 and played a significant role in advocating for the rights of her people during the apartheid era in South Africa. She passed away in 2005, leaving behind a legacy of dedication and resilience.
In more recent times, the name Takesha has been embraced by individuals of various backgrounds, particularly in the United States. One example is Takesha Meshé Kizart, an American author and poet born in 1976, who has published several works exploring themes of identity, culture, and social justice.
Additionally, Takesha Prichett, born in 1982, is a former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for several years, representing teams such as the Detroit Shock and the Phoenix Mercury. Her athletic achievements have contributed to the visibility of the name Takesha in the world of sports.
While the name Takesha has its roots in the Xhosa culture of South Africa, it has transcended its origins and gained recognition worldwide, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields and professions.
People
Takesha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Takesha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Takesha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Takesha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 908 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Takesha 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 377,483 US residents.
Is Takesha a common name?
We classify Takesha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 977 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Takesha most popular?
The single biggest year for Takesha was 1979, when 80 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Takesha is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Takesha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 712 people with the name Takesha, 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 Takesha 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 Takesha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Takesha appears almost entirely female. Of the 717 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 Takesha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Takesha is Black at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and White (2.5%). 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 Takesha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Takesha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (659 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 Takesha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Takesha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Takesha 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 Takesha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Takesha 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 Takesha 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 common is the name Takesha?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Takesha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.