Laisha

Meaning & origin

Laisha is a modern American name that first appeared on the U.S. Social Security Administration's baby name list in 1977, a time when creative and phonetically pleasing names were gaining popularity. The name saw its peak usage in 2004, when it ranked highest among American newborns. Since then, its frequency has been gradually declining: by 2025, only about 1 in every 100,454 girls received the name, placing it at rank 6,838. Laisha is most commonly used for girls, and its spelling variants like Leisha and Laysha suggest a connection to the broader family of names ending in '-sha,' which were fashionable in the late 20th century. While its exact origins remain uncertain, Laisha's appeal lies in its melodic sound and modern feel, making it a distinctive choice without a long historical pedigree. The name has not been strongly associated with any particular U.S. state or region, indicating its scattered but consistent use across the country.

Laisha first appeared in U.S. birth records in the late 1970s, around the same time as similar-sounding names like Aisha and Leisha. It may have been formed by combining the fashionable prefix 'Lai-' with the popular '-sha' suffix, or it could be a creative respelling of Leticia (from Latin laetitia 'joy') or Alicia (a variant of Alice, from Germanic 'noble'). No definitive etymology has been established.