Shamal
An Arabic masculine name meaning "the northeasterly wind blowing over the Arabian Peninsula".
Name Census estimates that about 168 living Americans carry the first name Shamal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shamal today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shamal births was 1996 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shamal. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Shamal with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
168
~ 1 in 2,040,204 Americans
Peak year
1996
13 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2008 SSA rank
#10,846
Tracked since 1978
Census
Shamal in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 277 people with the first name Shamal, which placed it at #31,090 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
#31,090
National first-name rank
People counted
277
277 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
54.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shamal
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shamal is Black at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.7%) and White (7.9%). 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 Shamal 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 Shamal at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.5% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander30.7% · 85
- White7.9% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 8
- Two or more races2.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
Popularity
Shamal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shamal 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 90 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Shamal remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shamal 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 Shamal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shamals live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shamal
The name Shamal has its roots in Arabic and Persian cultures, originating in the Middle East. Derived from the Arabic word 'shamal,' meaning 'north wind' or 'northern,' the name is closely associated with the strong, cool winds that blow across the region.
In ancient Arabic literature, the term 'shamal' is often used to describe the northern winds that brought relief from the scorching desert heat. The name itself is believed to have been bestowed upon individuals as a symbol of strength, resilience, and refreshing change.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shamal can be traced back to the 8th century CE, when a renowned Islamic scholar and poet, Shamal al-Basri (714-796 CE), gained prominence for his contributions to Arabic literature and Islamic jurisprudence.
Throughout the centuries, the name Shamal has been carried by various notable figures across the Middle East and beyond. One such individual was Shamal Khan Ghilzai (1663-1707), a prominent Afghan military leader who played a significant role in the region's power struggles during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In more recent history, Shamal Murzell (1896-1969), a Syrian-born American painter and sculptor, made a name for himself in the art world, showcasing his talents through numerous exhibitions and commissions.
Another notable bearer of the name was Shamal Battikhi (1925-2009), a renowned Syrian poet and literary critic who left an indelible mark on the Arab literary landscape with his profound works and critical analyses.
Moreover, Shamal Jamal (born 1979), an Egyptian-American comedian and actor, has gained recognition for his stand-up comedy performances and appearances in various television shows and films, bringing laughter and entertainment to audiences worldwide.
While the name Shamal may have originated in the Middle East, its meaning and resonance have transcended geographical boundaries, carrying with it a sense of strength, refreshing change, and a connection to the natural world.
People
Shamal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shamal 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
Shamal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shamal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 168 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shamal 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 2,040,204 US residents.
Is Shamal a common name?
We classify Shamal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 172 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shamal most popular?
The single biggest year for Shamal was 1996, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shamal is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shamal in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 277 people with the name Shamal, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,090 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 Shamal 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 Shamal?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shamal leans strongly male. 240 people counted with this name were male (87.6%), compared with 34 female bearers (12.4%). 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 Shamal?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shamal is Black at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.7%) and White (7.9%). 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 Shamal most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shamal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (151 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 Shamal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shamal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shamal in the SSA data are male. 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 Shamal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shamal 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 Shamal 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 Shamal?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.