Shaad
A masculine Arabic name meaning "joyful" or "blissful".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Shaad. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shaad today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaad births was 1991 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaad. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shaad. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1991
5 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,922
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Shaad: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaad from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaad by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Shaad during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaad
The name Shaad is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "shada," which means "good fortune" or "happiness." It is believed to have been used as a name for both boys and girls in the Arabian Peninsula since ancient times.
The earliest known historical reference to the name Shaad can be found in the works of renowned Arab poets and writers from the 7th century AD. It was often used as a poetic term to symbolize joy, contentment, and prosperity.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shaad was a renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century AD. His full name was Shaad ibn Muhammad al-Basri, and he made significant contributions to the fields of theology, logic, and metaphysics.
In the 11th century, a famous Arab mathematician and astronomer named Shaad ibn Ahmad al-Balkhi was born in the city of Balkh, now located in modern-day Afghanistan. He authored several influential works on mathematics and astronomy, which were widely studied and referenced by scholars throughout the Islamic world.
During the 13th century, a revered Sufi mystic and spiritual leader named Shaad al-Din al-Suharwardi hailed from the city of Suharward, in present-day Iraq. He founded the Suharwardiyya order of Sufism and wrote extensively on the concepts of divine love, unity, and enlightenment.
In the 16th century, a prominent Ottoman calligrapher and artist named Shaad al-Din Muhammad al-Qadiri gained fame for his exquisite calligraphic works, which adorned many mosques and palaces across the Ottoman Empire. His artworks are considered masterpieces of Islamic calligraphy and are still admired today.
Another notable figure with the name Shaad was Shaad Amin Khan, a renowned military leader and statesman who served as the Nawab (ruler) of the Mughal province of Awadh, in present-day India, during the late 18th century. He is credited with establishing the city of Lucknow as a cultural and architectural hub of the Mughal Empire.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Shaad, a name that has been associated with joy, prosperity, and intellectual and spiritual pursuits across various cultures and time periods.
People
Shaad + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaad as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shaad: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaad?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaad going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Shaad a common name?
We classify Shaad as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaad most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaad was 1991, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaad is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Shaad in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaad a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaad in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Shaad still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaad in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Shaad can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Shaad?
Find out how many Americans are named Shaad on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.