Shandee
An invented feminine name, possibly influenced by the Sanskrit word "chandi" meaning splendid or brilliant.
Name Census estimates that about 157 living Americans carry the first name Shandee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shandee today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shandee births was 1993 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shandee. 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
157
~ 1 in 2,183,149 Americans
Peak year
1993
12 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2004 SSA rank
#18,356
Tracked since 1974
Census
Shandee in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 203 people with the first name Shandee, which placed it at #38,074 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
#38,074
National first-name rank
People counted
203
203 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
74.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shandee
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shandee is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Shandee 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 Shandee at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.9% · 152
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 14
- Two or more races6.4% · 13
- Black or African American5.9% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.0% · 6
Popularity
Shandee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shandee 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 65 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
Shandee 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 Shandee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shandees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shandee
The given name Shandee has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, with roots that can be traced back to the Sanskrit language and the ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas. The name is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Chandra," which means "moon" or "luminous."
In Hindu mythology, Chandra is the name of the moon god, who is depicted as a handsome young man riding a chariot drawn by white horses. The name Shandee is thought to be a variation of Chandra, with the addition of the suffix "-ee," which is commonly used in Indian names to indicate endearment or affection.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shandee can be found in ancient Hindu texts and inscriptions dating back to the 5th century BCE. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Shandee Devi, a renowned poetess and scholar who lived in the court of the Gupta Empire during the 4th century CE.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Shandee. In the 11th century, Shandee Mitra was a celebrated Buddhist monk and philosopher who traveled extensively across Asia, spreading the teachings of Buddhism. During the Mughal era in the 16th century, Shandee Khan was a prominent military commander who played a crucial role in the conquest of northern India.
In more recent times, Shandee Mukherjee (1858-1922) was an influential Indian social reformer and educator who advocated for women's rights and the abolition of the caste system. Another notable figure was Shandee Ghosh (1876-1962), a pioneering Indian mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the fields of fluid dynamics and aerodynamics.
Shandee Kapoor (1927-1988) was a renowned Indian actress who appeared in numerous Bollywood films and is remembered for her versatile performances and captivating screen presence. More recently, Shandee Narayan (born 1976) is a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer who has performed on stages around the world.
While the name Shandee has its roots in ancient Indian culture and mythology, it has transcended geographical boundaries and continues to be used across various regions and communities, carrying with it the essence of its rich heritage and deep-rooted symbolism.
People
Shandee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shandee 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
Shandee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shandee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 157 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shandee 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 2,183,149 US residents.
Is Shandee a common name?
We classify Shandee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 165 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shandee most popular?
The single biggest year for Shandee was 1993, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shandee is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shandee in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 203 people with the name Shandee, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,074 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 Shandee 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 Shandee?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shandee leans strongly female. 196 people counted with this name were female (97.5%), compared with 5 male bearers (2.5%). 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 Shandee?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shandee is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Shandee most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Shandee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.9% (152 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 Shandee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shandee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shandee 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 Shandee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shandee 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 Shandee 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 have Shandee as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.