Shanina
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a diminutive form of Alexandra or Xenia.
Name Census estimates that about 203 living Americans carry the first name Shanina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shanina today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shanina births was 1980 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shanina. 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
203
~ 1 in 1,688,445 Americans
Peak year
1980
23 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2000 SSA rank
#11,615
Tracked since 1972
Census
Shanina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 224 people with the first name Shanina, which placed it at #35,741 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
#35,741
National first-name rank
People counted
224
224 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
67.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shanina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shanina is Black at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.8%) and White (10.3%). 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 Shanina 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 Shanina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American67.4% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino13.8% · 31
- White10.3% · 23
- Two or more races4.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 8
Popularity
Shanina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shanina 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 125 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
Shanina 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 Shanina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shanina
The name Shanina is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, with its roots tracing back to ancient India. The name is derived from the word "Shani," which refers to the planet Saturn in Hindu astrology and mythology. It is thought to have been a feminine form of the name "Shani," often given to girls born under the astrological influence of the planet Saturn.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Shanina can be found in ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, where it is mentioned in connection with various astrological and mythological contexts. The name gained popularity among certain Hindu communities, particularly in regions where the worship of planetary deities was prevalent.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shanina. One of the earliest recorded examples is Shanina Devi, a 16th-century Indian poet and mystic known for her devotional poetry and spiritual teachings. Her works were widely influential in the Bhakti movement, which emphasized devotion and love for the divine.
Another prominent figure was Shanina Khan, a 17th-century Mughal princess and the daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal. Shanina was known for her intelligence, beauty, and her involvement in the political affairs of the Mughal Empire during her father's reign.
In the 19th century, Shanina Malikova was a renowned Russian ballerina who performed with the Imperial Theatres of St. Petersburg. She was celebrated for her grace, technique, and her interpretation of classical roles in ballets such as "Giselle" and "Swan Lake."
During the 20th century, Shanina Salmanova was a Soviet military sniper who fought in World War II. She is remembered as one of the deadliest female snipers in history, with over 300 confirmed kills. Her bravery and skill earned her numerous military honors, including the Order of Glory.
More recently, Shanina Shaik is an Australian model and actress of Pakistani and Saudi Arabian descent. She has walked the runway for prestigious fashion houses and appeared in various advertising campaigns, gaining recognition in the international fashion industry.
While the name Shanina has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu traditions, it has transcended cultural boundaries and gained global recognition over time. The individuals mentioned above represent just a few examples of the diverse backgrounds and achievements associated with this name throughout history.
People
Shanina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shanina 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
Shanina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shanina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 203 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shanina 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 1,688,445 US residents.
Is Shanina a common name?
We classify Shanina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 216 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shanina most popular?
The single biggest year for Shanina was 1980, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shanina 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 Shanina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 224 people with the name Shanina, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,741 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 Shanina 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 Shanina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shanina appears almost entirely female. Of the 226 people counted with this name, 99.1% 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 Shanina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shanina is Black at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.8%) and White (10.3%). 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 Shanina most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shanina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.4% (151 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 Shanina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shanina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shanina 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 Shanina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shanina 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 Shanina 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 the name Shanina?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.