Shamair
An Arabic name meaning "beautiful, charming" or "small candle".
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Shamair. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.2% of registrations being female. The average person named Shamair today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shamair births was 1983 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shamair. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shamair. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
1983
16 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2007 SSA rank
#4,649
Tracked since 1983
Gender
Gender distribution for Shamair
Shamair is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 21 total registrations, 5 (23.8%) were male and 16 (76.2%) were female.
Shamair as a male name
- Ranked #14,059 in 2007
- 5 male births in 2007
- Peak: 2007 (5 births)
Shamair as a female name
- Ranked #4,649 in 1983
- 16 female births in 1983
- Peak: 1983 (16 births)
Popularity
Shamair: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shamair from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Shamair remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shamair 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 Shamair 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 Shamair
The name Shamair has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the early centuries of Islamic history. It is derived from the Arabic word "shimar," which means "lofty" or "sublime." This name often carries connotations of grandeur, nobility, and spiritual elevation.
In its earliest form, the name Shamair was likely used among the Arab tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in the regions of modern-day Saudi Arabia and the surrounding areas. As Islam spread across the Middle East and North Africa, the name gained popularity and became more widely adopted.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shamair can be found in the writings of renowned Islamic scholars and historians from the 8th and 9th centuries CE. These works often mentioned individuals bearing this name, although specific details about their lives are scarce.
Throughout the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Shamair. One such individual was Shamair ibn Rashid al-Hashimi (1087-1164 CE), a renowned poet and scholar from Baghdad who was celebrated for his mastery of Arabic literature and his contributions to the preservation of Islamic culture.
Another historical figure with this name was Shamair ibn Ali al-Qurashi (1295-1372 CE), a prominent Sufi mystic and spiritual leader from Damascus. His teachings and writings on the inner dimensions of Islam had a profound influence on the Sufi tradition in the region.
In the 15th century, Shamair ibn Salah al-Andalusi (1412-1489 CE) was a revered Islamic scholar and jurist from Andalusia, who made significant contributions to the study of Islamic law and jurisprudence.
During the Ottoman era, Shamair Pasha (1543-1618 CE) was a renowned military commander and statesman who served as the governor of several provinces within the Ottoman Empire, including Damascus and Aleppo.
Another notable figure bearing this name was Shamair al-Ghazali (1678-1745 CE), a renowned Islamic philosopher and theologian from Persia. His works on Islamic metaphysics and ethics had a lasting impact on the intellectual discourse of the time.
While these historical examples provide a glimpse into the rich legacy associated with the name Shamair, it is important to note that the name has been carried by countless individuals throughout the centuries, each leaving their own unique mark on the tapestry of history.
People
Shamair + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shamair 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
Shamair: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shamair?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shamair 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 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Shamair a common name?
We classify Shamair as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shamair most popular?
The single biggest year for Shamair was 1983, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shamair is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Shamair in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shamair a female name?
Yes, 76.2% of people registered as Shamair 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 Shamair still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shamair 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 Shamair 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Shamair?
You can see how many Americans are named Shamair on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.