UK girl's name
Keisha
Feminine name of African origin, meaning "favorite child" or "princess".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Keisha is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Keisha popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3015, with 8 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 118 births.
This profile covers 1,239 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 7% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,289 living people in the UK are called Keisha. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Keisha ranked #3015 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 8 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 118 girls were registered as Keisha.
- • Keisha ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #363 in 2011.
- • About 1,289 living people in the UK are estimated to have Keisha as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3015
2024
Births in 2024
8
Latest year
Peak year
2006
118 births
Estimated living
1,289
2026
Meaning
What does Keisha mean?
The name Keisha is believed to have its origins in the African American community, particularly in the southern United States, in the mid-20th century. It is thought to be a variation or feminized version of the male name Keefe, which itself is a form of the Irish name Keeffe or Keevan, derived from the Gaelic word "caomh" meaning "handsome" or "gentle."
While the exact origins of the name Keisha are uncertain, it is speculated that African American families may have adopted or adapted the name from Irish immigrants or influences, giving it a unique cultural spin and pronunciation. The name gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s as part of the Black Power movement and the embrace of African-inspired names.
One of the earliest recorded notable individuals with the name Keisha was Keisha Castle-Hughes, a New Zealand actress born in 1990. She rose to fame for her role in the 2002 film "Whale Rider," for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress at the age of 13, making her the youngest nominee in that category.
Another prominent figure was Keisha Buchan, a British singer-songwriter born in 1984, known professionally as Keisha Buchanan. She was a founding member and lead vocalist of the popular British girl group Sugababes.
In the world of sports, Keisha Hampton, an American track and field athlete born in 1985, competed in the Olympic Games and won multiple medals, including a gold medal in the 4x100m relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Keisha Renee Hurtado, born in 1987, is a former American actress and singer best known for her role as Gabriella Montez in the "High School Musical" television series.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, born in 1970, is an American politician who served as the 60th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2018 to 2022.
While the name Keisha became popular in the latter half of the 20th century, particularly in the African American community, its origins can be traced back to various cultural influences, showcasing the rich diversity and evolution of names across time and societies.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Keisha over time
The chart below shows babies named Keisha registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Keisha, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 8 births in 2024, compared with 118 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keisha by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Keisha was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3042 | 39 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1963 | 217 | 10 |
| 2000s | #462 | 817 | 10 |
| 1990s | #615 | 166 | 4 |
Geography
Where Keisha is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Keisha. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Keisha ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #363 in 2011.
Across the UK
Keisha in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#666 in 2010
7 years of NRS records, 28 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#363 in 2011
7 years of NISRA records, 30 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Keisha
-
Keisha Kane
pornographic actor
British pornographic film actress
1988-
-
Keisha White
singer
English R&B singer
1986-
-
Keisha Buchanan
singer; singer-songwriter
British singer
1984-
Related
Names similar to Keisha
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Keisha: questions and answers
How popular is the name Keisha in the UK right now?
In 2024, Keisha was ranked #3015 for girls in England and Wales, with 8 births registered.
When was Keisha most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 118 babies registered as Keisha in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Keisha?
Feminine name of African origin, meaning "favorite child" or "princess".
How many people are called Keisha in the UK?
A total of 1,239 babies have been registered as Keisha across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 28 more in Scotland and 30 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Keisha most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Keisha ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #363 in 2011. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.