Shakura
A Hebrew name meaning "dawn" or "first light of the morning".
Name Census estimates that about 191 living Americans carry the first name Shakura. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shakura today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shakura births was 1997 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shakura. 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
191
~ 1 in 1,794,525 Americans
Peak year
1997
21 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2007 SSA rank
#15,217
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Shakura: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shakura 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 118 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Shakura remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shakura 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 Shakura during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shakura
The name Shakura has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, tracing back to around the 5th century BCE in the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shakti," which means divine energy or power, and "ra," meaning to give or bestow. The name is believed to signify the embodiment of divine feminine energy or the granting of spiritual power.
One of the earliest known references to the name Shakura can be found in the ancient Hindu scripture, the Upanishads, where it is mentioned as a powerful mantra associated with the goddess Shakti, the divine feminine force of the universe. The name gained popularity in various Hindu and Buddhist traditions, often used as a spiritual name or a name bestowed upon those seeking enlightenment.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Shakura. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Shakura Devi, a renowned Indian mathematician and writer who lived from 1829 to 1946. She was widely acclaimed for her exceptional mental calculation abilities and contributed significantly to the field of mathematics education.
Another prominent figure was Shakura Begum, a 16th-century Mughal princess and the daughter of Emperor Akbar. Born in 1572, she was known for her literary prowess and her patronage of the arts, contributing to the rich cultural legacy of the Mughal Empire.
In the 19th century, Shakura Bai was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and courtesan who lived from 1829 to 1878. She was renowned for her expertise in the Kathak dance form and played a significant role in preserving and promoting this ancient art form.
More recently, Shakura S'Aida was a noted American blues singer and songwriter who lived from 1938 to 2002. She was renowned for her powerful vocals and her contributions to the Chicago blues scene in the mid-20th century.
Additionally, Shakura Mubarak was a prominent Sudanese women's rights activist and politician who lived from 1945 to 2016. She fought tirelessly for gender equality and played a crucial role in advocating for women's education and empowerment in Sudan.
People
Shakura + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shakura 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
Shakura: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shakura?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 191 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shakura 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 1,794,525 US residents.
Is Shakura a common name?
We classify Shakura as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 197 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shakura most popular?
The single biggest year for Shakura was 1997, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shakura is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shakura a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shakura 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.
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.