Total births
56,996
Girls' name · since 1948
Alisha
Since 1948, U.S. Social Security records show 56,996 babies named Alisha, peaking in 1989. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1143
- among girls today
- 56,996
- born since 1948
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
56,996 babies have been named Alisha since 1948, making it today's #1143 girls' name.
Alisha has 56,996 recorded births among girls since 1948, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1143 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1948 to 2025.
- #1143 among girls today
- 56,996 born since 1948
- 1980s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alisha is currently the #1143 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 56,996 born since 1948, peaking in the 1980s.
- #1143
- among girls today
- 56,996
- born since 1948
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Alisha vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1143
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
38% of everyone ever named Alisha was born in this single decade.
1989
Single peak year
2,437 babies were named Alisha in 1989 - its busiest year on record.
How Alisha compares
56,996 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Alisha's all-time total is 149x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alisha | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 56,996 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,437 | 48 | 19,840 |
Alisha's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Alisha splits its recorded history at 1987: 56% of all births land in the more recent half, 44% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1948 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1989 peak of 2,437 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Alisha at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1989
Current rank
#1,143
Active since
1948
Alisha popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1948–2025
- Peak year (1989)
- 2,437
- Annual births at peak, across 78 years of records
Alisha popularity over time - boys
131 total births recorded since 1973 (Alisha as boys' name)
Alisha by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Alisha's strongest decade.
21,751 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Alisha births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 14
1940s
14 births
- 1950s 92
1950s
92 births
- 1960s 1,473
1960s
1,473 births
- 1970s
1970s
8,918 births
- 1980s
1980s
21,751 births
- 1990s
1990s
14,510 births
- 2000s 6,010
2000s
6,010 births
- 2010s 3,007
2010s
3,007 births
- 2020s 1,221
2020s
1,221 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 21,751 births (38% of all-time use).
How Alisha compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Alisha's total volume
Alisha vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Alisha by state
Where Alisha concentrates geographically, total births since 1948
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5,161 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 3,474 | 6.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 3,308 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 2,818 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Florida | | 2,646 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 2,337 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 2,228 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 1,881 | 3.3% |
California share of Alisha's total US births 9.1%
Even split
5,161 of 56,996 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Alisha appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alisha? ▼
56,996 babies have been named Alisha since 1948. It currently ranks #1143 among girls. The peak year was 1989 with 2,437 births.
When was Alisha most popular? ▼
Alisha was most popular in the 1980s decade with 21,751 total births. The single peak year was 1989.
Where is Alisha most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alisha are California (5,161 births), Texas (3,474 births), New York (3,308 births).
How long has the name Alisha been used? ▼
Records for Alisha go back to 1948, giving 78 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Alisha? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alice, Alicia, Alison, Aliyah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Alisha's data
- Alisha's decade-level peak was the 1980s (21,751 total births); usage has since declined to 1,221 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Alishas (5,161 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alisha
Nearby Names Like Alisha
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alisha
Alice Girl
#63 588,147 births
Alicia Girl
#438 230,790 births
Alison Girl
#465 116,886 births
Aliyah Girl
#237 49,011 births
Alina Girl
#136 45,387 births
Compare Alisha side by side: Alisha vs Alice Alisha vs Alicia Alisha vs Alison
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alisha
Erika #1142
125,664 births · Peak 1990
Ariela #1144
3,841 births · Peak 2024
Brenda #1141
608,478 births · Peak 1957
Gaia #1145
2,434 births · Peak 2023
Princess #1140
15,975 births · Peak 2006
Nathaly #1146
8,139 births · Peak 2007
Dariana #1139
4,338 births · Peak 2000
Farrah #1147
12,156 births · Peak 1977
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1948–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Alisha: #1143 Girls' Name - 56,996 Births, Peak 1989." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alisha. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Alisha draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.