Shameka
A feminine name likely derived from the African-American pronunciation "Sha-meek-a".
Name Census estimates that about 5,806 living Americans carry the first name Shameka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shameka today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shameka births was 1980 (452 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shameka. 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 Shameka with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
5.8K
~ 1 in 59,035 Americans
Peak year
1980
452 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2010 SSA rank
#16,652
Tracked since 1971
Census
Shameka in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,879 people with the first name Shameka, which placed it at #3,988 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
#3,988
National first-name rank
People counted
4.9K
4,879 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shameka
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shameka is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Shameka 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 Shameka at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.2% · 4,595
- Two or more races2.6% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 71
- White1.2% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 10
Popularity
Shameka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shameka from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 3,354 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
Shameka 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 Shameka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shamekas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. New York, Georgia, Florida recorded the most babies named Shameka, while Wisconsin, Kentucky, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 203 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shameka
The name Shameka is a feminine given name of African-American origin, derived from the Akan language spoken in Ghana and other parts of West Africa. It emerged during the late 20th century as a popular name choice among African-American families in the United States.
The name Shameka is believed to be a blend of the Akan names Shama and Akua, both of which have rich cultural significance. Shama means "grace" or "blessing," while Akua is a name given to females born on Wednesday, representing fertility and creativity. The combination of these two names reflects the desire for a child to possess both grace and creative abilities.
While the name Shameka has no direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its African roots can be traced back to the Akan people's cultural traditions and naming practices. The Akan people have a long-standing tradition of bestowing meaningful names upon their children, often reflecting circumstances surrounding their birth or aspirations for their future.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Shameka can be found in the 1970s, coinciding with the rise of the Black Power movement and a renewed interest in African-American cultural identity. As the name gained popularity, several notable figures emerged bearing the name.
Shameka Christon (born 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Houston Comets and the Chicago Sky. Shameka Stanford (born 1975) is an American basketball coach and former player who currently serves as the head coach for the Vanderbilt University women's basketball team. Shameka Jones (born 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Atlanta Dream and the Washington Mystics.
Shameka Winston (born 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Minnesota Lynx and the Detroit Shock. Shameka Mashangoane (born 1985) is a South African sprinter who specializes in the 100 meters and 200 meters events and has represented South Africa in multiple international competitions.
These individuals, among others, have contributed to the recognition and popularity of the name Shameka, carrying forward its rich cultural heritage and celebrating its African roots.
People
Shameka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shameka 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
Shameka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shameka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,806 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shameka 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 59,035 US residents.
Is Shameka a common name?
We classify Shameka as "Rare". It ranks above 96.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,191 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shameka most popular?
The single biggest year for Shameka was 1980, when 452 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shameka is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shameka in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,879 people with the name Shameka, or 1.62 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,988 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 Shameka 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 Shameka?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shameka appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,884 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Shameka?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shameka is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Shameka most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shameka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (4,595 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 Shameka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shameka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shameka 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 Shameka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shameka 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 Shameka 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 Americans are named Shameka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.