Shaina
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "goddess of prosperity and beauty".
Name Census estimates that about 11,489 living Americans carry the first name Shaina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shaina today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaina births was 1988 (777 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaina. 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 Shaina with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
11K
~ 1 in 29,833 Americans
Peak year
1988
777 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
1989 SSA rank
#2,336
Tracked since 1968
Census
Shaina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 10,146 people with the first name Shaina, which placed it at #2,444 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
#2,444
National first-name rank
People counted
10K
10,146 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
62.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaina is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Shaina 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 Shaina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.6% · 6,347
- Black or African American13.9% · 1,406
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 835
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.4% · 748
- Two or more races6.5% · 658
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 152
Gender
Gender distribution for Shaina
Out of the 11,935 babies given the name Shaina since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Shaina as a male name
- Ranked #7,749 in 1989
- 6 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1988 (7 births)
Shaina as a female name
- Ranked #2,336 in 2024
- 79 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1988 (770 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shaina appears almost entirely female. Of the 10,144 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Shaina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaina from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 4,724 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
Shaina 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 Shaina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shainas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 45 states and territories. New York, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Shaina, while Wyoming, Montana, Utah recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 218 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaina
The name Shaina originates from the Sanskrit language and has its roots in ancient Indian culture. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "Shaina," which means "adorned with beauty" or "graceful." The name has been in use for centuries and can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shaina can be found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, where it is mentioned as the name of a beautiful princess. This epic, which dates back to around the 8th century BCE, is considered one of the most significant works of ancient Indian literature and has played a crucial role in shaping Indian culture and mythology.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shaina. One of the earliest recorded examples is Shaina, an Indian princess who lived in the 7th century CE and was renowned for her beauty, intelligence, and artistic talents. Another prominent figure was Shaina Devi, a 12th-century Indian mystic and poet whose works have left a lasting impact on the spiritual and literary traditions of India.
In the realm of religion, Shaina holds significance in Hinduism and Sikhism. In Hinduism, it is associated with the goddess Lakshmi, who is revered as the embodiment of beauty, wealth, and prosperity. In Sikhism, the name Shaina is often given to girls as a reminder of the virtues of grace and elegance.
Among more recent historical figures, Shaina Nana Chudasama (1885-1936) was an Indian social reformer and activist who fought against the practice of child marriage and advocated for women's education and empowerment. Another notable individual was Shaina Anand (1904-1967), an Indian actress and dancer who made significant contributions to the world of classical Indian dance forms, particularly Kathak.
It is worth mentioning that while the name Shaina has its origins in Sanskrit and Indian culture, it has gained popularity across various regions and cultures over time. Individuals from diverse backgrounds have embraced this name, appreciating its meaningful connotations and beautiful sound.
People
Shaina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaina 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
Shaina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11,489 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaina 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 29,833 US residents.
Is Shaina a common name?
We classify Shaina as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11,935 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaina most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaina was 1988, when 777 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaina is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shaina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 10,146 people with the name Shaina, or 3.36 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,444 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 Shaina 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 Shaina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shaina appears almost entirely female. Of the 10,144 people counted with this name, 99.9% 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 Shaina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaina is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Shaina most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Shaina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (6,347 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 Shaina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaina a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Shaina 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 Shaina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaina 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 Shaina 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 common is the name Shaina?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.