Total births
4,019
Girls' name · since 1973
Kenisha
4,019 babies named Kenisha in U.S. Social Security records since 1973, with the highest year being 1978. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #13835
- among girls today
- 4,019
- born since 1973
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 22%
- more common than other girls
Kenisha currently ranks #13835 among girls' names in America, with 4,019 babies recorded since 1973.
Social Security Administration records show Kenisha recorded 4,019 times among girls since 1973, holding rank #13835 nationally today, ahead of 22% of girls, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1973 to 2025.
- #13835 among girls today
- 4,019 born since 1973
- 1990s peak decade
- 22% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kenisha is currently the #13835 girls' name in America, more common than 22% of girls - 4,019 born since 1973, peaking in the 1990s.
- #13835
- among girls today
- 4,019
- born since 1973
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 22%
- more common than other girls
Kenisha vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#13835
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 22% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
34% of everyone ever named Kenisha was born in this single decade.
1978
Single peak year
313 babies were named Kenisha in 1978 - its busiest year on record.
How Kenisha compares
4,019 Top 15% higher than 85% 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
Kenisha's all-time total is 11x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kenisha | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,019 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 313 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kenisha's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kenisha splits its recorded history at 1999: 16% of all births land in the more recent half, 84% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2019 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1978 peak of 313 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kenisha at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1978
Current rank
#13,835
Active since
1973
Kenisha popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1973–2025
- Peak year (1978)
- 313
- Annual births at peak, across 53 years of records
Kenisha popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1989 (Kenisha as boys' name)
Kenisha by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Kenisha's strongest decade.
1,382 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Kenisha births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
916 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,135 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,382 births
- 2000s 386
2000s
386 births
- 2010s 146
2010s
146 births
- 2020s 54
2020s
54 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 1,382 births (34% of all-time use).
How Kenisha 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 Kenisha's total volume
Kenisha vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kenisha by state
Where Kenisha concentrates geographically, total births since 1973
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 284 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 271 | 6.7% |
| #3 | Florida | | 254 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Texas | | 215 | 5.3% |
| #5 | New York | | 197 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 163 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 140 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 137 | 3.4% |
California share of Kenisha's total US births 7.1%
Even split
284 of 4,019 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 27 reporting states.
Kenisha appears in 27 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kenisha? ▼
Kenisha has been given to 4,019 babies in the U.S. since 1973, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #13835 as of the latest data. 313 babies were born in 1978, its single highest year.
When was Kenisha most popular? ▼
Kenisha was most popular in the 1990s decade with 1,382 total births. The single peak year was 1978.
Where is Kenisha most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kenisha are California (284 births), Illinois (271 births), Florida (254 births).
How long has the name Kenisha been used? ▼
Kenisha has been recorded in Social Security data since 1973, spanning 53 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kenisha? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kendra, Kennedy, Kendall, Kenya, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kenisha's data
- Kenisha's decade-level peak was the 1990s (1,382 total births); usage has since declined to 54 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kenishas (284 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 Kenisha
Nearby Names Like Kenisha
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kenisha
Kendra Girl
#686 98,438 births
Kennedy Girl
#89 93,663 births
Kendall Girl
#311 66,533 births
Kenya Girl
#1659 25,412 births
Kenzie Girl
#628 21,391 births
Compare Kenisha side by side: Kenisha vs Kendra Kenisha vs Kennedy Kenisha vs Kendall
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kenisha
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, 1973–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kenisha: #13835 Girls' Name - 4,019 Births, Peak 1978." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kenisha. 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 Kenisha 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.