Shalan
A masculine Arabic name meaning "radiant", "splendid" or "shining".
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the first name Shalan. It is a predominantly female name (95.7% of registrations). The average person named Shalan today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shalan births was 1976 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shalan. 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
109
~ 1 in 3,144,535 Americans
Peak year
1976
16 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1979 SSA rank
#6,916
Tracked since 1976
Census
Shalan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 228 people with the first name Shalan, which placed it at #35,335 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
#35,335
National first-name rank
People counted
228
228 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
54.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shalan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shalan is White at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%). 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 Shalan 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 Shalan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.4% · 124
- Black or African American20.6% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.4% · 26
- Two or more races6.6% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Shalan
Shalan leans heavily female at 95.7% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shalan as a male name
- Ranked #6,916 in 1979
- 5 male births in 1979
- Peak: 1979 (5 births)
Shalan as a female name
- Ranked #16,463 in 1999
- 5 female births in 1999
- Peak: 1976 (16 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Shalan on both sides of the split. Of the 224 people counted with this name, 47 were male (21.0%) and 177 were female (79.0%).
Popularity
Shalan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shalan from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 53 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Shalan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shalan 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 Shalan 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 Shalan
The name Shalan has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "shalan," which means "willow tree" or "slender branch." The name is thought to have been inspired by the graceful and resilient nature of the willow tree, often used as a symbol of strength and adaptability.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Shalan can be found in the ancient Islamic texts and historical records from the Middle East. It was a name given to several individuals during the early Islamic era, though the exact details of their lives have been lost to time.
Throughout history, the name Shalan has been borne by several notable figures. One of the most well-known was Shalan ibn Malik al-Ghazi, a renowned Arabian poet and scholar who lived in the 9th century CE. His works were widely celebrated for their eloquence and profound insights into the human condition.
Another notable individual with the name Shalan was Shalan ibn Abdul-Aziz al-Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family who played a significant role in the unification of the Arabian Peninsula in the early 20th century. He was born in 1892 and served as the governor of several provinces in the region.
In the realm of sports, Shalan Abdulrahman Al-Kuwari was a Qatari athlete who competed in the men's shot put event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Although his achievements on the international stage were modest, his participation in the Olympic Games was a source of pride for his country.
Moving to the realm of literature, Shalan al-Jahiz was a renowned Arab prose writer and literary theorist who lived in the 9th century CE. His works, particularly his seminal book "Kitab al-Hayawan" (Book of Animals), were instrumental in shaping the development of Arabic prose and literary criticism.
Finally, in the field of music, Shalan al-Murshed was a Saudi Arabian singer and composer who gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. His melodic compositions and poetic lyrics captivated audiences across the Arab world, earning him a place among the most celebrated artists of his time.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Shalan throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human culture and achievement.
People
Shalan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shalan 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
Shalan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shalan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 109 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shalan 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 3,144,535 US residents.
Is Shalan a common name?
We classify Shalan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 117 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shalan most popular?
The single biggest year for Shalan was 1976, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shalan is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shalan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 228 people with the name Shalan, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,335 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 Shalan 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 Shalan?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Shalan on both sides of the split. Of the 224 people counted with this name, 47 were male (21.0%) and 177 were female (79.0%). 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 Shalan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shalan is White at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%). 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 Shalan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Shalan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.4% (124 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 Shalan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shalan a female name?
Yes, 95.7% of people registered as Shalan 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 Shalan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shalan 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 Shalan 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 Shalan as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Shalan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.