Shalita
An Indian feminine name meaning "obedient, well-behaved".
Name Census estimates that about 377 living Americans carry the first name Shalita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shalita today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shalita births was 1988 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shalita. 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
377
~ 1 in 909,163 Americans
Peak year
1988
28 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1994 SSA rank
#11,556
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Shalita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shalita from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 197 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
Shalita 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 Shalita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shalitas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shalita
The name Shalita originates from the Sanskrit language, which was the classical language of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shalita," which means "modest" or "well-behaved." The name likely emerged during the ancient Vedic period of Indian history, which spans from around 1500 BCE to 600 BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shalita can be found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, which is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE. In the epic, Shalita is mentioned as the name of a minor character, a daughter of a sage.
During the medieval period in India, the name Shalita gained popularity among the Hindu communities, particularly in the northern regions of the subcontinent. It was often chosen for newborn girls as a reflection of the desired qualities of modesty and good behavior.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Shalita was Shalita Devi, a 16th-century Indian poet and mystic from the region of Bengal. She is renowned for her devotional poetry, which was composed in the Bengali language and revolved around themes of love and spiritual devotion.
Another prominent individual named Shalita was Shalita Ambaran, a 17th-century Indian dancer and courtesan who was celebrated for her skill in the classical dance form of Kathak. She was a prominent figure in the court of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and is said to have performed for him on numerous occasions.
In more recent times, Shalita Singh was a 19th-century Indian freedom fighter who played an active role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company. She is remembered for her bravery and dedication to the cause of Indian independence.
Shalita Devi, born in 1926, was a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer who made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of the Odissi dance form. She received numerous awards and honors for her work, including the prestigious Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan from the Indian government.
While the name Shalita is rooted in ancient Sanskrit traditions, it has transcended its linguistic and cultural origins and has been adopted by individuals across various regions and communities, reflecting its enduring appeal and the universal values it represents.
People
Shalita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shalita 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
Shalita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shalita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 377 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shalita 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 909,163 US residents.
Is Shalita a common name?
We classify Shalita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 405 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shalita most popular?
The single biggest year for Shalita was 1988, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shalita is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shalita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shalita 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.