Shakeema
An Arabic feminine name meaning "gentle" or "gracious".
Name Census estimates that about 597 living Americans carry the first name Shakeema. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shakeema today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shakeema births was 1993 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shakeema. 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
597
~ 1 in 574,128 Americans
Peak year
1993
47 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2005 SSA rank
#18,698
Tracked since 1974
Census
Shakeema in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 483 people with the first name Shakeema, which placed it at #21,136 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
#21,136
National first-name rank
People counted
483
483 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shakeema
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shakeema is Black at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Shakeema 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 Shakeema at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.0% · 449
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 20
- Two or more races1.4% · 7
- White1.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Shakeema: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shakeema from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 287 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shakeema 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 Shakeema during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shakeemas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Shakeema, while South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 91 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shakeema
The name Shakeema has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots tracing back to the Middle East and North Africa. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries. Shakeema is derived from the Arabic word "shakima," which means "gracious" or "charming." The spelling variation "Shakeema" is a more modern adaptation of the original Arabic form.
While the name itself does not have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its Arabic roots suggest it may have been used among Arabic-speaking communities during the Islamic Golden Age, a period of great cultural, scientific, and intellectual achievements in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shakeema can be found in historical records from the 17th century, where it was used by a notable family in the city of Marrakesh, Morocco. However, the specifics of this early usage are somewhat obscure due to the limited documentation from that era.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shakeema. In the 18th century, Shakeema bint Abdullah was a respected scholar and poet from the Arabian Peninsula. Her work focused on preserving and promoting Arabic literature and culture.
In the 19th century, Shakeema al-Misri was a prominent Egyptian feminist and advocate for women's education. She established one of the first schools for girls in Cairo and played a pivotal role in advancing educational opportunities for women in the region.
During the 20th century, Shakeema Abdalla was a Sudanese politician and activist who fought for women's rights and participated in the country's independence movement. She was involved in various political organizations and served as a member of the Sudanese parliament.
Another notable figure from the 20th century was Shakeema Khayat, a Syrian-born artist and sculptor known for her innovative use of materials and exploration of themes related to identity and cultural heritage. Her works have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.
In more recent times, Shakeema Pughsley was a Canadian basketball player who played professionally in several countries, including Canada, the United States, and Europe. She was a standout player at the collegiate level and represented Canada in international competitions.
The name Shakeema, with its rich Arabic heritage and historical connections, has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, each leaving their mark on their respective fields and contributing to the cultural tapestry of their communities.
People
Shakeema + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shakeema 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
Shakeema: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shakeema?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 597 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shakeema 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 574,128 US residents.
Is Shakeema a common name?
We classify Shakeema as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 629 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shakeema most popular?
The single biggest year for Shakeema was 1993, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shakeema is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shakeema in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 483 people with the name Shakeema, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,136 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 Shakeema 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 Shakeema?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shakeema appears almost entirely female. Of the 480 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Shakeema?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shakeema is Black at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Shakeema most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shakeema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (449 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 Shakeema in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shakeema a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shakeema 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 Shakeema still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shakeema 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 Shakeema 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 Shakeema?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Shakeema, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.