UK girl's name
Nisha
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "night".
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.
Nisha is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Nisha popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2001, with 58 births.
This profile covers 655 England and Wales registrations across 26 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 5% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 686 living people in the UK are called Nisha. 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
- • Nisha ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2001, when 58 girls were registered as Nisha.
- • Nisha ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #286 in 2002.
- • About 686 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nisha as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5891
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2001
58 births
Estimated living
686
2026
Meaning
What does Nisha mean?
Nisha is a name that has its origins in Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages in the world, with roots dating back to around 1500 BC. It is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit word "Nisha," which means "night" or "darkness." The name was likely given to children born at night or during a lunar eclipse, which was considered auspicious in ancient Indian culture.
The earliest known use of the name Nisha can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Vedas and the Puranas, where it was occasionally used as a feminine name or as a reference to the personification of night. However, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time period or specific texts where the name first appeared.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Nisha was a Buddhist nun who lived in the 5th century AD. She was known for her spiritual teachings and is mentioned in several Buddhist texts from that era.
In the 11th century, a renowned poetess and mystic from Kashmir, India, named Nisha Ksemendra, gained recognition for her exceptional literary works and spiritual insights. Her writings have been preserved and studied by scholars over the centuries.
During the Mughal Empire in India, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th century, the name Nisha was occasionally used by members of the royal families and nobility. One notable figure was Nisha Begum, a princess and the daughter of Emperor Akbar, who lived in the late 16th century.
In more recent times, several prominent individuals have borne the name Nisha. Nisha Ganatra, born in 1974, is a Canadian-American film director and screenwriter known for her work on projects like "Chutney Popcorn" and "Late Night."
Another noteworthy individual is Nisha Sabrina Shirazi, an Afghan-American author and women's rights activist born in 1976, who has written extensively about her experiences growing up in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime.
While the name Nisha has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and is now used by people of various backgrounds and ethnicities around the world.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nisha over time
The chart below shows babies named Nisha 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 Nisha, the clearest high point is 2001. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 58 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nisha by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nisha 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 | #5066 | 16 | 4 |
| 2010s | #2709 | 86 | 8 |
| 2000s | #860 | 369 | 10 |
| 1990s | #584 | 184 | 4 |
Geography
Where Nisha is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Nisha. 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.
Nisha ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #286 in 2002.
Across the UK
Nisha in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#744 in 2007
8 years of NRS records, 29 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#286 in 2002
2 years of NISRA records, 7 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Nisha
-
Nisha Katona
chef
British chef
1971-
Related
Names similar to Nisha
- Niamh 20,347
- Nicole 19,687
- Natasha 15,578
- Nancy 12,607
- Naomi 12,199
- Natalie 10,885
- Nevaeh 7,869
- Nina 7,285
- Neve 7,180
- Natalia 7,099
- Nadia 6,032
- Nicola 4,927
FAQ
Nisha: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nisha in the UK right now?
In 2024, Nisha was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Nisha most popular?
The peak year on record was 2001, with 58 babies registered as Nisha in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nisha?
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "night".
How many people are called Nisha in the UK?
A total of 655 babies have been registered as Nisha across the 26 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 29 more in Scotland and 7 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Nisha most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Nisha ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #286 in 2002. 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.