Holding steady.
Popularity of Tenesha since 1967
Babies named Tenesha per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 12 |
| 1970s | 399 |
| 1980s | 707 |
| 1990s | 299 |
| 2000s | 21 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Tenesha is a modern American name that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1967, a product of the creative naming trends of the late 20th century. Like many -esha names, it reflected a broader cultural shift toward distinctive, melodic coinages, particularly within African American communities. The name reached its highest usage in 1984, the peak year according to Social Security data, but has since declined and currently shows a stable trajectory with very few new registrations. While Tenesha never entered the national top 1000, it represents a unique part of 1980s naming fashion. No top states are recorded, suggesting its use was widely dispersed rather than concentrated in any single region.
Tenesha is a modern coinage from the United States, first recorded in 1967. It belongs to the wave of -esha, -isha, and -asha names that became fashionable in the 1970s and 1980s, often formed by combining a short prefix (Te- from Tina or similar) with a trendy suffix of the era. The name has no historical or linguistic roots in any traditional language.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Tina, Nesha
Sibling names for Tenesha
Names that share Tenesha's style, for a brother or sister.
