Shaid
A diminutive Arabic name derived from "shaheed" meaning "witness" or "martyr".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Shaid. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shaid today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaid births was 2004 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaid. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Shaid with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shaid. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2004
5 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2004 SSA rank
#12,928
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Shaid: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaid 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 Shaid during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaid
The given name Shaid has its origins in the Arabic language, tracing back to the early medieval period in the Middle East. It is derived from the Arabic word "shayid," which means "witness" or "martyr." The name carries a religious significance in the Islamic faith, often associated with those who were willing to bear witness to their beliefs, even at the cost of their lives.
One of the earliest known references to the name Shaid can be found in historical accounts of the Islamic conquests and the spread of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries. During this time, many individuals were revered for their unwavering commitment to their faith, and the name Shaid was bestowed upon those who embodied this spirit of martyrdom.
The first recorded instance of the name Shaid appears in the writings of medieval Islamic scholars and historians, who documented the lives and deeds of prominent figures from that era. One such individual was Shaid ibn Abi Waqqas (609-670 CE), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a respected military leader who participated in several significant battles.
In later centuries, the name Shaid continued to be used among Muslim communities, particularly in regions where Arabic was the predominant language or had a strong cultural influence. Notable historical figures bearing this name include Shaid al-Din al-Tusi (1201-1274 CE), a renowned Persian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, and Shaid al-Din Muhammad Khwarazmi (1170-1221 CE), a celebrated Islamic jurist and scholar of Hanafi jurisprudence.
During the Ottoman Empire's reign, the name Shaid gained further prominence. One prominent individual was Shaid Pasha (1550-1617 CE), an Ottoman Grand Vizier and military commander who played a crucial role in the empire's expansion and consolidation of power in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Another notable figure was Shaid al-Din Ayni (1360-1451 CE), a Turkish historian and author who served as the chief judge of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Murad II. His extensive writings on Islamic law, history, and literature have been widely studied and referenced by scholars over the centuries.
While these are just a few examples, the name Shaid has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each contributing to the rich tapestry of Islamic culture, scholarship, and military prowess.
People
Shaid + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaid 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
Shaid: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaid?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaid 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Shaid a common name?
We classify Shaid as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaid most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaid was 2004, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaid is about 22 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 Shaid in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaid a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaid 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 Shaid still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaid 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 Shaid 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 called Shaid?
You can see how many Americans are named Shaid on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.