Shamel
Of Arabic origin meaning "all-encompassing, whole, or complete".
Name Census estimates that about 1,136 living Americans carry the first name Shamel. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 86.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Shamel today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shamel births was 1993 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shamel. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 301,720 Americans
Peak year
1993
57 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,187
Tracked since 1974
Gender
Gender distribution for Shamel
Shamel leans heavily male at 86.8% of total registrations, but 155 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shamel as a male name
- Ranked #13,858 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1993 (42 births)
Shamel as a female name
- Ranked #13,187 in 1996
- 6 female births in 1996
- Peak: 1977 (15 births)
Popularity
Shamel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shamel from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 370 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shamel 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 Shamel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shamels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Shamel, while Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 244 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shamel
The name Shamel is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language. It is derived from the word "shamala," which means "to include" or "to embrace." This suggests that the name could be associated with qualities such as inclusiveness, acceptance, and embracing others.
The earliest known use of the name Shamel can be traced back to the 7th century, during the rise of Islam and the spread of Arabic culture across the Middle East and North Africa. It is possible that the name was used by early Muslim scholars or religious figures, as it carries a positive connotation in the Arabic language.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shamel was Shamel al-Basri, a renowned Islamic scholar and poet who lived in the 8th century. He was known for his contributions to the study of Arabic literature and his influential works on various topics, including ethics and spirituality.
In the 10th century, there was a famous Arab philosopher and mathematician named Shamel ibn Yahya al-Maghribi. He made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy, and his works were widely studied and influential in the Islamic world.
Another notable figure with the name Shamel was Shamel al-Din al-Isfahani, a renowned Persian poet and scholar who lived in the 12th century. He was known for his mastery of the Arabic language and his beautiful poetic compositions, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human experience.
During the Ottoman Empire, there was a prominent military leader named Shamel Pasha, who lived in the 19th century. He served as a general in the Ottoman army and played a significant role in various military campaigns and conflicts of his time.
Throughout history, the name Shamel has been used across various cultures and regions influenced by Arabic language and culture, such as the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia. While it may not be a widely recognized name globally, it holds a rich cultural heritage and meaning within the Arabic-speaking world.
People
Shamel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shamel 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
Shamel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shamel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,136 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shamel 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 301,720 US residents.
Is Shamel a common name?
We classify Shamel as "Rare". It ranks above 90.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,175 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shamel most popular?
The single biggest year for Shamel was 1993, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shamel is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shamel a male name?
Yes, 86.8% of people registered as Shamel 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.
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.