Shanece
A feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps a blend of Shannon and Denise.
Name Census estimates that about 344 living Americans carry the first name Shanece. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shanece today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shanece births was 1992 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shanece. 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
344
~ 1 in 996,379 Americans
Peak year
1992
56 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2017 SSA rank
#18,062
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Shanece: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shanece from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 221 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
Shanece 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 Shanece during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaneces live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shanece
The name Shanece has its origins in the African American community, emerging in the early 20th century. It is believed to be a combination of the names Shanice and Renee, both of which have French roots. The name Shanice is derived from the French name Chanique, which itself is a variant of the name Jeannette, meaning "God is gracious." Renee is a French name that means "reborn."
While the exact origin of the name Shanece is unclear, it is thought to have been formed by blending these two names, possibly reflecting the desire of African American parents to create a unique name that celebrated their cultural heritage while also incorporating elements of French names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shanece can be found in the 1920s, though it remained relatively rare until gaining popularity in the latter half of the 20th century. The name's rise in popularity coincided with the increasing embrace of African American culture and the desire to celebrate one's heritage through unique and meaningful names.
Notable historical figures who bore the name Shanece include:
1. Shanece Arnold (born 1984), an American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Charlotte Sting and the San Antonio Stars.
2. Shanece Skyers (born 1985), an American track and field athlete who competed in the long jump and triple jump events.
3. Shanece Kendall (born 1982), an American singer-songwriter and actress who rose to prominence in the early 2000s.
4. Shanece Milton (born 1988), an American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the non-profit organization "Empowering Minds."
5. Shanece Haile (born 1975), an Ethiopian-American writer and activist known for her work on human rights and social justice issues.
While the name Shanece has gained popularity in recent decades, it remains a unique and meaningful choice, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the African American community and the desire to create a distinctive identity through naming practices.
People
Shanece + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shanece 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
Shanece: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shanece?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 344 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shanece 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 996,379 US residents.
Is Shanece a common name?
We classify Shanece as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 357 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shanece most popular?
The single biggest year for Shanece was 1992, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shanece is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shanece a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shanece 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.