Shamea
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "tall" or "lofty".
Name Census estimates that about 29 living Americans carry the first name Shamea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shamea today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shamea births was 1983 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shamea. 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 Shamea. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
29
~ 1 in 11,819,115 Americans
Peak year
1983
12 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1987 SSA rank
#9,619
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Shamea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shamea from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 25 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shamea 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 Shamea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shameas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shamea
The name Shamea originates from the Arabic language and culture, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages in the Islamic world. It is derived from the Arabic word "shami," which means "Levantine" or "from the Levant region." The Levant, also known as the Eastern Mediterranean, encompasses modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and parts of Jordan and Turkey.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shamea can be found in the writings of the renowned Muslim scholar and historian, Ibn Khaldun, who lived from 1332 to 1406 CE. In his seminal work, "The Muqaddimah," he mentions a scholar named Shamea al-Dimashqi, hailing from the city of Damascus in the Levant region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shamea. One such figure was Shamea al-Andalusi (1165-1238 CE), a prominent Andalusian poet and scholar from the Islamic Golden Age in Spain. Her poetry and literary works were highly acclaimed during her lifetime and continue to be studied by scholars today.
Another notable Shamea was Shamea al-Baghdadi (1250-1317 CE), a renowned Islamic jurist and theologian from Baghdad. He was known for his expertise in Islamic law and his contributions to the development of Islamic jurisprudence.
In the 14th century, Shamea al-Halabi (1320-1388 CE) was a celebrated calligrapher and artist from Aleppo, Syria. His intricate calligraphic works adorned various mosques and religious texts, and he was revered for his mastery of the Arabic script.
Moving forward in time, Shamea al-Fasi (1633-1701 CE) was a distinguished Moroccan scholar and theologian from the city of Fez. He authored numerous works on Islamic theology, philosophy, and mysticism, and his teachings influenced generations of scholars in the Maghreb region.
These are just a few examples of the many prominent figures throughout history who have carried the name Shamea, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and significance within the Arabic-speaking world.
People
Shamea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shamea 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
Shamea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shamea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 29 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shamea 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 11,819,115 US residents.
Is Shamea a common name?
We classify Shamea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 31 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shamea most popular?
The single biggest year for Shamea was 1983, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shamea is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shamea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shamea 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.