Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
The name draws on Sanskrit usa, meaning “dawn”.
The story
In mythological stories, Usha is associated with the daughter of heaven, and the name of a demon princess.
Usha through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 152
- 0 boys · 152 girls
- Most popular year
- 1973
- 12 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2019. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 12 in 1973. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,205 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.
Usha’s family of names
Usha has a related form in Ushah. Usha has a related form in Ushai. Usha has a related form in Ushas.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Usha
- Usha VanceSecond Lady of the United States since 2025born 1986
- K. K. UshaIndian judge1939–2020
- Usha ThakurIndian politicianborn 1966
- Usha Rao-MonariDirector, Sustainable Business Advisory - International Finance Corporation (IFC)born 1959
- Usha Prashar, Baroness PrasharParliamentarian (born 1948)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Usha, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sabrena
“a legendary princess”
>99% girls
Sharmila
“the joy of the house of King Pandu” · “bashful, modest”
>99% girls
Jocasta
Jocasta is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek.
>99% girls
Tara
“hill”
>99% girls
Brina
“a legendary princess” · “from the high hill; one who ascends”
>99% girls
Obba
“a king”
—
Uttara
“a royal daughter”
1% boys · 99% girls
Aulys
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