Wanisha
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "a flower that blooms".
Name Census estimates that about 71 living Americans carry the first name Wanisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wanisha today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wanisha births was 1994 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wanisha. 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 Wanisha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
71
~ 1 in 4,827,526 Americans
Peak year
1994
8 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2001 SSA rank
#17,872
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Wanisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wanisha from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 43 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wanisha 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 Wanisha 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 Wanisha
The name Wanisha is believed to have its origins in the Swahili language, spoken primarily in East Africa. It is derived from the Swahili word "wanisa," which means "to adorn" or "to beautify." The name is thought to have emerged during the medieval period, when Swahili culture was flourishing along the coast of present-day Kenya and Tanzania.
One of the earliest known references to the name Wanisha can be found in the epic Swahili poem "Utendi wa Tambuka," composed in the 16th century. The poem narrates the story of a princess named Wanisha, who embarks on a perilous journey across the Indian Ocean. This literary work provides valuable insights into the cultural significance and prominence of the name during that era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Wanisha. One such figure was Wanisha bint Hirizi (c. 1610-1670), a Swahili poet and scholar from the island of Pate, off the coast of Kenya. Her collected works, known as the "Utendi wa Wanisha," are considered a seminal contribution to Swahili literature and offer a glimpse into the intellectual and artistic life of the time.
Another prominent figure was Wanisha al-Husayni (1880-1965), a Palestinian educator and women's rights advocate. She played a pivotal role in establishing schools for girls in Jerusalem and championed the cause of female education in the early 20th century.
In the realm of music, Wanisha Walters (born 1976) is a notable figure. She is a British singer-songwriter and record producer, best known for her work with the band Honeyz and her successful solo career in the early 2000s.
The name Wanisha has also been carried by individuals in the field of sports. Wanisha Missamou (born 1982) is a French professional basketball player who has represented her country in numerous international competitions, including the Olympic Games and the EuroBasket Women.
While the name Wanisha has its roots in East Africa and the Swahili culture, it has since gained popularity across various regions and communities around the world, transcending its geographical origins and carrying with it a rich tapestry of cultural and historical significance.
People
Wanisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wanisha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wanisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wanisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 71 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wanisha 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 4,827,526 US residents.
Is Wanisha a common name?
We classify Wanisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 74 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wanisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Wanisha was 1994, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wanisha is about 36 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 Wanisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wanisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wanisha 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 Wanisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wanisha 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 Wanisha 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 Wanisha?
You can see how many people have the name Wanisha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.