Tyishia
A feminine name possibly of African origin, with the meaning uncertain.
Name Census estimates that about 58 living Americans carry the first name Tyishia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tyishia today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tyishia births was 1990 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tyishia. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tyishia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
58
~ 1 in 5,909,558 Americans
Peak year
1990
8 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1994 SSA rank
#13,350
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Tyishia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tyishia from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 32 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Tyishia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tyishia 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 Tyishia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tyishia
The name Tyishia is believed to have its origins in the African continent, specifically in the regions of West and Central Africa. It is a combination of two words from the Yoruba language spoken in modern-day Nigeria: "Tiye" meaning "mother" and "Isha" meaning "work" or "labor." The name thus carries the connotation of a hardworking and nurturing woman.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, during the transatlantic slave trade, many Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas, carrying with them their cultural traditions, including naming practices. It is likely that the name Tyishia was introduced to the Americas during this period, although its earliest recorded instances are not well-documented.
One of the earliest known references to the name Tyishia can be found in the writings of Olaudah Equiano, a former slave who published his autobiography, "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano," in 1789. In his memoir, Equiano mentions a woman named Tyishia who was part of his community in the British West Indies.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Tyishia. One such person was Tyishia Simmons (1963-2021), an American civil rights activist and community organizer who dedicated her life to advocating for racial justice and police accountability in her hometown of Chicago.
Another prominent figure was Tyishia Masamba (1952-2018), a Congolese politician and feminist leader who served as the Minister of Women's Affairs in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1997 to 2001. She was instrumental in promoting women's rights and gender equality in her country.
In the realm of literature, Tyishia Akinola (1976-present) is a Nigerian-American author and poet whose works explore themes of identity, diaspora, and the African experience. Her debut poetry collection, "Tongues of Fire," received critical acclaim and numerous awards.
The name Tyishia has also been carried by notable athletes, such as Tyishia Haywood (1984-present), a former basketball player who competed in the WNBA for teams like the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty.
Finally, Tyishia Galloway (1971-present) is a renowned chef and restaurateur from South Carolina, known for her fusion of Southern and West African culinary traditions, earning her recognition as a pioneer in the field of Gullah cuisine.
People
Tyishia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tyishia 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
Tyishia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tyishia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 58 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tyishia 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 5,909,558 US residents.
Is Tyishia a common name?
We classify Tyishia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 62 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tyishia most popular?
The single biggest year for Tyishia was 1990, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tyishia is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Tyishia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tyishia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tyishia 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 Tyishia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tyishia 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 Tyishia 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Tyishia?
You can see how many Americans are named Tyishia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.