Given name
Ayesha
“lively; womanly”
Ayesha is a variant of Aisha. One Arabic interpretation is “lively; womanly.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ayesha is a variant of Aisha. One Arabic interpretation is “lively; womanly.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Ayesha is a variant of Aisha. An origin associated with Aisha is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1950. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ayesha through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,696
- 0 boys · 6,696 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 178 babies
- 2025
- 156
- #1,396 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 156 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,396 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 178 in 2016. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (37). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,146 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ayesha
- Ayesha TakiaIndian film actressborn 1986
- Ayesha JhulkaIndian film actressborn 1972
- Ayesha KapurIndian-German actressborn 1994
- Ayesha CurryCanadian actressborn 1989
- Ayesha JalalPakistani historianborn 1956
- Ayesha DuttIndian film actress and producerborn 1960
- Ayesha ImamNigerian human rights activist
- Ayesha SiddiqaPakistani journalist and scholarborn 1966
- Ayesha DurraniAfghan poet1778–1853
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ayesha, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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