Shanda
Scandinavian feminine name of uncertain meaning, possibly related to words meaning "shame, disgrace".
Name Census estimates that about 7,229 living Americans carry the first name Shanda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shanda today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shanda births was 1974 (387 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shanda. 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
7.2K
~ 1 in 47,414 Americans
Peak year
1974
387 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2014 SSA rank
#16,220
Tracked since 1946
Popularity
Shanda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shanda from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 3,470 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shanda 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 Shanda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shandas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 40 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Shanda, while South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 141 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shanda
The name Shanda has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient language of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shanti," which means peace or tranquility. The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times, likely since the Vedic period, which dates back to around 1500-500 BCE.
In Hindu mythology, the concept of "shanti" holds great significance, and it is often invoked in prayers and rituals for the attainment of inner peace and harmony. The name Shanda may have been given to children with the hope that they would embody the qualities of peace and serenity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shanda can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Shanda is mentioned as the name of a character who was a warrior and the son of the deity Indra.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shanda. One of the most famous was Shanda Guruji (1857-1914), a renowned Indian spiritual leader and founder of the Radhasoami faith. Another notable figure was Shanda Thakur (1920-1999), an Indian classical vocalist and exponent of the Agra gharana.
In the realm of literature, Shanda Pandit (1871-1935) was a prominent Bengali writer and novelist, known for works such as "Shiter Aranya" (The Winter Forest) and "Chander Pahar" (The Mountain of the Moon).
In more recent times, Shanda Rhimen Mukherjee (1939-2017) was a respected Indian politician and member of the Indian National Congress party, serving as a member of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) for several terms.
Shanda Remedio (born 1983) is a contemporary Indian actor and model who has appeared in various Bollywood films and television shows.
While the name Shanda has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu culture, it has transcended its origins and is now used across various regions and communities, particularly in India and among the Indian diaspora around the world.
People
Shanda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shanda 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
Shanda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shanda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7,229 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shanda 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 47,414 US residents.
Is Shanda a common name?
We classify Shanda as "Rare". It ranks above 97.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,997 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shanda most popular?
The single biggest year for Shanda was 1974, when 387 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shanda is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shanda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shanda 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.