Shamecca
A feminine name with uncertain origins and meanings, possibly derived from "Shama" meaning "to hear or obey".
Name Census estimates that about 231 living Americans carry the first name Shamecca. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shamecca today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shamecca births was 1981 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shamecca. 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
231
~ 1 in 1,483,785 Americans
Peak year
1981
21 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2001 SSA rank
#17,509
Tracked since 1975
Census
Shamecca in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 191 people with the first name Shamecca, which placed it at #39,504 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
#39,504
National first-name rank
People counted
191
191 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shamecca
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shamecca is Black at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) 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 Shamecca 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 Shamecca at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.2% · 178
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 6
- Two or more races2.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 3
Popularity
Shamecca: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shamecca from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 122 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
Shamecca 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 Shamecca during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shameccas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shamecca
The name Shamecca is a relatively modern name that appears to have its origins in the United States in the late 20th century. It is believed to be a combination of the names Shameeka and Mecca, with the latter referring to the holy city in Saudi Arabia that is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and a significant site for Muslims worldwide.
While the precise etymology of Shamecca is unclear, some linguists suggest that it may be derived from the Arabic word "shamikha," which means "elevated" or "exalted." This could indicate that the name was intended to convey a sense of honor or respect for the religious and cultural significance of Mecca.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shamecca can be found in the United States Social Security Administration's baby name records, which show a small number of babies being given this name in the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, it was not until the 1990s that the name gained more widespread popularity, particularly among African American families.
Throughout history, there are a few notable individuals who have borne the name Shamecca. One of the earliest was Shamecca Menzies, an American track and field athlete who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where she participated in the 100-meter hurdles event.
Another significant figure was Shamecca Bryant, an American basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Detroit Shock and the Los Angeles Sparks between 2005 and 2009. She was a member of the Shock team that won the WNBA championship in 2006.
In the realm of academia, Shamecca Harris is a notable scholar who currently serves as an associate professor of communication studies at Xavier University of Louisiana. Her research focuses on issues of race, gender, and media representation.
Shamecca Lee is an American singer and songwriter who has released several albums and singles in the gospel and contemporary Christian music genres. She is particularly known for her powerful vocal performances and inspirational lyrics.
Finally, Shamecca Childress is a former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury and the Atlanta Dream between 2009 and 2013. She was known for her defensive skills and her ability to contribute off the bench.
While the name Shamecca may be relatively new, it has already been borne by several accomplished individuals in various fields, suggesting that it has the potential to continue gaining popularity and cultural significance in the years to come.
People
Shamecca + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shamecca 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
Shamecca: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shamecca?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 231 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shamecca 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 1,483,785 US residents.
Is Shamecca a common name?
We classify Shamecca as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 245 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shamecca most popular?
The single biggest year for Shamecca was 1981, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shamecca is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shamecca in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 191 people with the name Shamecca, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #39,504 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 Shamecca 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 Shamecca?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shamecca leans strongly female. 189 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.6%). 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 Shamecca?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shamecca is Black at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) 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 Shamecca most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shamecca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (178 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 Shamecca in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shamecca a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shamecca 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 Shamecca still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shamecca 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 Shamecca 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 are named Shamecca?
See how many Americans are named Shamecca on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.