NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Tanisha

Of Sanskrit origin, an Indian feminine name meaning "praise".

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.

Tanisha is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Tanisha popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1894, with 15 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 132 births.

This profile covers 2,119 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 11% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 2,152 living people in the UK are called Tanisha. 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

  • Tanisha ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 15 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2010, when 132 girls were registered as Tanisha.
  • Tanisha ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #311 in 2011.
  • About 2,152 living people in the UK are estimated to have Tanisha as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1894

2024

Births in 2024

15

Latest year

Peak year

2010

132 births

Estimated living

2,152

2026

Meaning

What does Tanisha mean?

The name Tanisha has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "tanu," meaning "body" or "slender," and "isha," which translates to "lord" or "master." The name's roots can be traced back to the Indian subcontinent, where Sanskrit was the literary language of ancient India.

Throughout the centuries, the name Tanisha has been associated with various historical figures and religious texts. In the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics, there is a character named Tanisha who was a skilled archer and warrior. Additionally, the name is mentioned in the Puranas, ancient Hindu texts that recount the universe's creation and the stories of various deities and sages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tanisha comes from the 7th century CE, when a Hindu princess named Tanisha ruled over a small kingdom in what is now modern-day Rajasthan, India. Her reign was marked by a period of cultural and artistic renaissance, and she is remembered for her patronage of the arts and literature.

In the 12th century, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet named Tanisha Bhattacharya made significant contributions to the study of ancient Indian literature. Her work was widely celebrated and influenced generations of scholars and writers.

During the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, a female warrior named Tanisha Begum fought alongside her husband in various battles against the Rajput kingdoms. Her bravery and skill on the battlefield earned her a reputation as a fearsome warrior and a respected leader.

In more recent history, Tanisha Gupta was a prominent Indian freedom fighter who participated in the non-violent civil disobedience movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. Born in 1898, she played a crucial role in the struggle for India's independence and was imprisoned multiple times for her activism.

Another notable figure was Tanisha Mukherjee, a renowned Indian classical dancer who was born in 1920. She was instrumental in reviving and popularizing the Kathak dance form and is considered one of the greatest exponents of the art in the 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Tanisha over time

The chart below shows babies named Tanisha 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 Tanisha, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 15 births in 2024, compared with 132 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Tanisha
0336699132199620102024

Decades

Tanisha by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Tanisha 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 #2138 65 5
2010s #777 645 10
2000s #383 1,014 10
1990s #346 395 4

Geography

Where Tanisha is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Tanisha. 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.

Tanisha ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #311 in 2011.

Northern Ireland
5
Scotland
4

Across the UK

Tanisha in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#653 in 2015

5 years of NRS records, 22 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#311 in 2011

6 years of NISRA records, 24 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Tanisha

  • Tanisha Gorey

    actor

    English actress

    2002-

  • Tanisha Walker

    basketball player

    basketball player

    1997-

  • Tanisha Smith

    association football player

    English footballer

Related

Names similar to Tanisha

FAQ

Tanisha: questions and answers

How popular is the name Tanisha in the UK right now?

In 2024, Tanisha was ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales, with 15 births registered.

When was Tanisha most popular?

The peak year on record was 2010, with 132 babies registered as Tanisha in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Tanisha?

Of Sanskrit origin, an Indian feminine name meaning "praise".

How many people are called Tanisha in the UK?

A total of 2,119 babies have been registered as Tanisha across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 22 more in Scotland and 24 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Tanisha most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Tanisha ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #311 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.