Shalawn
A feminine name meaning "peaceful meadow" or "tranquil field".
Name Census estimates that about 113 living Americans carry the first name Shalawn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shalawn today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shalawn births was 1974 (70 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shalawn. 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
113
~ 1 in 3,033,224 Americans
Peak year
1974
70 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1992 SSA rank
#13,050
Tracked since 1974
Census
Shalawn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 143 people with the first name Shalawn, which placed it at #46,519 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
#46,519
National first-name rank
People counted
143
143 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shalawn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shalawn is Black at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Shalawn 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 Shalawn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.6% · 131
- White4.2% · 6
- Two or more races2.1% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Popularity
Shalawn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shalawn from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 119 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shalawn 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 Shalawn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shalawns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, Illinois, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Shalawn, while Michigan, Texas, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shalawn
The name Shalawn has its origins in the ancient Semitic languages of the Middle East, tracing back to the early days of the Aramaic and Hebrew tongues. Its roots can be found in the word "shalom," which means "peace" or "completeness" in Hebrew. This linguistic connection suggests that the name Shalawn was initially borne by individuals who embodied a sense of tranquility or wholeness.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shalawn can be found in the writings of the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, who lived in the 1st century AD. In his work "On the Contemplative Life," Philo mentions a figure named Shalawn, though little is known about this individual's life or significance.
During the Middle Ages, the name Shalawn appeared sporadically in various historical records across the Middle East and Europe. One notable bearer was Shalawn ibn Abi al-Qasim, a renowned Arabic poet and scholar who lived in the 10th century AD in present-day Iraq. His poetic works were widely celebrated for their mastery of language and artistic expression.
In the 12th century, a Shalawn al-Dimashqi was a prominent figure in the Islamic world, serving as a vizier (high-ranking advisor) to the Ayyubid Sultan Saladin. His diplomatic skills and political acumen were highly regarded during his time, and he played a crucial role in the governance of the Ayyubid dynasty.
Moving forward to the Renaissance era, a Shalawn ibn al-Hawari was a celebrated physician and philosopher in 15th century Andalusia (modern-day Spain). His contributions to the fields of medicine and natural sciences were significant, and his writings on various subjects were widely studied and referenced by scholars of the time.
Another notable figure bearing the name Shalawn was Shalawn al-Mawsili, a renowned musician and composer who lived in the 9th century AD in present-day Iraq. He was regarded as one of the greatest masters of Arabic music during the Abbasid Caliphate, and his compositions and theories on music theory have had a lasting impact on the art form.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Shalawn throughout history, demonstrating its rich cultural heritage and deep roots in the Middle Eastern and Islamic traditions. While the name may not be as commonly used today, its meaning and historical significance continue to resonate with those who appreciate its linguistic and cultural origins.
People
Shalawn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shalawn 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
Shalawn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shalawn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 113 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shalawn 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 3,033,224 US residents.
Is Shalawn a common name?
We classify Shalawn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 125 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shalawn most popular?
The single biggest year for Shalawn was 1974, when 70 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shalawn is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shalawn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 143 people with the name Shalawn, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,519 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 Shalawn 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 Shalawn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shalawn leans strongly female. 131 people counted with this name were female (95.6%), compared with 6 male bearers (4.4%). 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 Shalawn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shalawn is Black at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Shalawn most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shalawn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (131 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 Shalawn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shalawn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shalawn 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 Shalawn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shalawn 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 Shalawn 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 the name Shalawn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.