Total births
2,603
Girls' name · since 1971
Kanisha
2,603 babies named Kanisha in U.S. Social Security records since 1971, with the highest year being 1990. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #15722
- among girls today
- 2,603
- born since 1971
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 11%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Kanisha is the #15722 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 2,603 recorded since 1971.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kanisha has been recorded 2,603 times among girls since 1971, currently ranked #15722 nationally and more common than 11% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1971 to 2024.
- #15722 among girls today
- 2,603 born since 1971
- 1990s peak decade
- 11% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Kanisha is currently the #15722 girls' name in America, more common than 11% of girls - 2,603 born since 1971, peaking in the 1990s.
- #15722
- among girls today
- 2,603
- born since 1971
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 11%
- more common than other girls
Kanisha vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#15722
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 11% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
50% of everyone ever named Kanisha was born in this single decade.
1990
Single peak year
293 babies were named Kanisha in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Kanisha compares
2,603 Top 19% higher than 81% 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
Kanisha's all-time total is 7x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kanisha | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,603 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 293 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kanisha's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kanisha's full recorded timeline at 1995, 26% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 74% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1971, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1990 peak of 293 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kanisha at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1990
Current rank
#15,722
Active since
1971
Kanisha popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2024
- Peak year (1990)
- 293
- Annual births at peak, across 54 years of records
Kanisha by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Kanisha's strongest decade.
1,292 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 50% of all-time use.
Kanisha births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 285
1970s
285 births
- 1980s
1980s
753 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,292 births
- 2000s 204
2000s
204 births
- 2010s 50
2010s
50 births
- 2020s 19
2020s
19 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 1,292 births (50% of all-time use).
How Kanisha 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 Kanisha's total volume
Kanisha vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kanisha by state
Where Kanisha concentrates geographically, total births since 1971
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 177 | 6.8% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 132 | 5.1% |
| #3 | Texas | | 132 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 116 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 106 | 4.1% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 84 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 77 | 3.0% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 60 | 2.3% |
California share of Kanisha's total US births 6.8%
Even split
177 of 2,603 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 22 reporting states.
Kanisha appears in 22 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kanisha? ▼
Kanisha has been given to 2,603 babies in the U.S. since 1971, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #15722 as of the latest data. 293 babies were born in 1990, its single highest year.
When was Kanisha most popular? ▼
Kanisha was most popular in the 1990s decade with 1,292 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Kanisha most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kanisha are California (177 births), Illinois (132 births), Texas (132 births).
How long has the name Kanisha been used? ▼
Kanisha has been recorded in Social Security data since 1971, spanning 54 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Kanisha? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kandice, Kandace, Kandi, Kandy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kanisha's data
- Kanisha's decade-level peak was the 1990s (1,292 total births); usage has since declined to 19 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kanishas (177 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 Kanisha
Nearby Names Like Kanisha
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kanisha
Kandice Girl
6,823 births
Kandace Girl
#13677 6,323 births
Kandi Girl
5,547 births
Kandy Girl
#13675 5,306 births
Kandis Girl
2,727 births
Compare Kanisha side by side: Kanisha vs Kandice Kanisha vs Kandace Kanisha vs Kandi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kanisha
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1971–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kanisha: #15722 Girls' Name - 2,603 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kanisha. 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 Kanisha 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 July 2026.