Shaakira
From Arabic, meaning "grateful" or "thankful one".
Name Census estimates that about 214 living Americans carry the first name Shaakira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shaakira today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaakira births was 1991 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaakira. 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.
People living today
214
~ 1 in 1,601,656 Americans
Peak year
1991
22 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2000 SSA rank
#17,123
Tracked since 1976
Census
Shaakira in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 217 people with the first name Shaakira, which placed it at #36,520 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#36,520
National first-name rank
People counted
217
217 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
85.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaakira
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaakira is Black at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Shaakira described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Shaakira at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American85.3% · 185
- Two or more races5.1% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 8
- White2.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Shaakira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaakira from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 114 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaakira 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 Shaakira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaakiras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaakira
The name Shaakira has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic word "shakir," which means "grateful" or "thankful." The name is believed to have been popularized during the early years of Islam, as it embodied the virtues of gratitude and appreciation that are highly valued in the Islamic faith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shaakira can be found in the writings of medieval Arab scholars and poets, who often used it as a symbolic representation of gratitude towards God and the blessings bestowed upon humanity. The name also appears in various Islamic texts and historical records from that era, further solidifying its significance in the Arabic-speaking world.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Shaakira. One of the most renowned was Shaakira al-Quraishi (1020-1090), a renowned female poet and literary figure from Aleppo, Syria, who was celebrated for her mastery of Arabic poetry and her contribution to the preservation of Arabic literature. Another prominent figure was Shaakira al-Nabulsi (1554-1616), a respected Sufi scholar and mystic from Palestine, whose teachings and writings played a significant role in the development of Islamic mysticism.
In the 14th century, Shaakira al-Baghdadi (1310-1380) was a highly regarded Islamic scholar and jurist from Baghdad, known for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her influential works on Sharia law. During the same period, Shaakira al-Dimashqi (1325-1405) was a renowned calligrapher and artist from Damascus, whose intricate calligraphic works adorned numerous mosques and palaces across the Middle East.
Moving forward in time, Shaakira al-Tunisi (1790-1860) was a prominent Tunisian poet and writer who gained recognition for her eloquent verses and her advocacy for women's education and empowerment. Her works were widely read and celebrated throughout the Arab world, inspiring generations of poets and intellectuals.
While the name Shaakira has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has transcended linguistic and cultural boundaries, becoming a popular name in various regions across the globe. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its beautiful sound, its rich historical significance, and its embodiment of the virtues of gratitude and appreciation, which resonate with people from diverse backgrounds.
People
Shaakira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaakira 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
Shaakira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaakira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 214 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaakira 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 1,601,656 US residents.
Is Shaakira a common name?
We classify Shaakira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 224 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaakira most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaakira was 1991, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaakira is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shaakira in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 217 people with the name Shaakira, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,520 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Shaakira in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Shaakira?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shaakira appears almost entirely female. Of the 215 people counted with this name, 99.1% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Shaakira?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaakira is Black at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Shaakira most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shaakira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (185 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Shaakira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaakira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaakira in the SSA data are female. 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 Shaakira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaakira 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 Shaakira 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.
How many Americans are named Shaakira?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.