Shakendra
An Indian feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "powerful, mighty one".
Name Census estimates that about 244 living Americans carry the first name Shakendra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shakendra today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shakendra births was 1987 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shakendra. 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
244
~ 1 in 1,404,731 Americans
Peak year
1987
27 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2002 SSA rank
#17,647
Tracked since 1979
Census
Shakendra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 219 people with the first name Shakendra, which placed it at #36,320 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
#36,320
National first-name rank
People counted
219
219 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shakendra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shakendra is Black at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Shakendra 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 Shakendra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.5% · 207
- White1.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
- Two or more races0.5% · 1
Popularity
Shakendra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shakendra 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 119 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
Shakendra 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 Shakendra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shakendras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Florida, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Shakendra, while Georgia, Texas, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shakendra
The name Shakendra has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, with roots dating back to the Vedic period of India, around 1500-500 BCE. The name is a combination of two Sanskrit words: "shakti," meaning divine power or strength, and "indra," referring to the king of the gods in Hindu mythology.
This name's earliest known use can be traced back to the Hindu epic poems, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, where it is mentioned as the name of a minor character or a celestial being. Its presence in these revered texts suggests that the name held spiritual and cultural significance in ancient Indian civilizations.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shakendra was a 7th-century CE scholar and poet from the Pallava dynasty in South India. His works, though not widely preserved, were celebrated for their literary merit and philosophical depth.
In the 11th century, a renowned Hindu sage and spiritual leader, Shakendra Swami, was known for his teachings on the principles of Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic school of Hindu philosophy. His disciples and followers played a significant role in spreading his teachings across the Indian subcontinent.
During the Mughal era in the 16th century, Shakendra Khan was a prominent military commander and strategist who served under the emperor Akbar. His tactics and leadership in various battles were instrumental in the expansion and consolidation of the Mughal Empire.
Another notable figure was Shakendra Nath Ghosh, a Bengali writer and social reformer from the 19th century. He actively advocated for women's education and worked towards improving the social and economic conditions of the underprivileged communities in Bengal.
In the realm of arts and culture, Shakendra Babu was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer from the 20th century. He was instrumental in reviving and popularizing the traditional Kathakali dance form, earning him numerous accolades and recognition both nationally and internationally.
While the name Shakendra has its roots in ancient Indian history and culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and has been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds and ethnicities across the world, each adding their unique contributions to the rich tapestry of this name's legacy.
People
Shakendra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shakendra 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
Shakendra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shakendra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 244 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shakendra 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 1,404,731 US residents.
Is Shakendra a common name?
We classify Shakendra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 255 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shakendra most popular?
The single biggest year for Shakendra was 1987, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shakendra is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shakendra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 219 people with the name Shakendra, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,320 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 Shakendra 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 Shakendra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shakendra appears almost entirely female. Of the 213 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 Shakendra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shakendra is Black at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Shakendra most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shakendra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (207 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 Shakendra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shakendra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shakendra 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 Shakendra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shakendra 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 Shakendra 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 people have Shakendra as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Shakendra on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.