Shanlee
Diminutive of Sharon with Celtic origin, meaning "little meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 33 living Americans carry the first name Shanlee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shanlee today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shanlee births was 2014 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shanlee. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shanlee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
33
~ 1 in 10,386,495 Americans
Peak year
2014
7 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2014 SSA rank
#14,332
Tracked since 1970
Census
Shanlee in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 131 people with the first name Shanlee, which placed it at #48,547 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
#48,547
National first-name rank
People counted
131
131 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shanlee
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shanlee is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and Black (7.6%). 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 Shanlee 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 Shanlee at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 13
- Black or African American7.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.9% · 9
- Two or more races4.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 2
Popularity
Shanlee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shanlee from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 17 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Shanlee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shanlee 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 Shanlee 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 Shanlee
The name Shanlee is a relatively modern invention, with its origins likely stemming from a combination of the Scottish name Shannon and the popular English suffix "-lee." As a distinct given name, Shanlee appears to have emerged in the late 20th century, particularly in English-speaking countries like the United States and United Kingdom.
While the name itself does not have a long historical lineage, its components can be traced back to earlier linguistic roots. The element "Shan" is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Seanhaith," meaning "old" or "ancient." This prefix was commonly used in Irish and Scottish names, such as Shannon, to signify a connection to history or tradition.
The suffix "-lee," on the other hand, has its origins in the Old English word "leah," which referred to a meadow or clearing in a forest. This element was often incorporated into English place names and later evolved into a popular surname suffix, particularly in the United Kingdom.
There are no known instances of the name Shanlee appearing in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the modern era. However, its components have been present in various names and locations throughout history.
The earliest recorded use of the name Shanlee is difficult to pinpoint precisely, as it is a relatively recent creation. However, some notable individuals who have borne this name include:
1. Shanlee Muir (born 1981), an Australian actress known for her roles in television shows like "All Saints" and "Home and Away."
2. Shanlee Scott (born 1990), an American professional basketball player who has played in the WNBA and overseas leagues.
3. Shanlee Marie (born 1992), an American country music singer and songwriter, known for her singles "Her" and "Breathe."
4. Shanlee Royce (born 1986), an American model and social media influencer, known for her work with various fashion brands.
5. Shanlee Kamekona (born 1995), a Hawaiian-American artist and illustrator, known for her vibrant and colorful artwork inspired by her cultural heritage.
While the name Shanlee is a relatively modern creation, it has gained some popularity in recent decades, particularly in English-speaking countries. Its unique blend of Scottish and English elements has likely contributed to its appeal as a distinctive and contemporary given name.
People
Shanlee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shanlee 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
Shanlee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shanlee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 33 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shanlee 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 10,386,495 US residents.
Is Shanlee a common name?
We classify Shanlee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 34 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shanlee most popular?
The single biggest year for Shanlee was 2014, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shanlee is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shanlee in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 131 people with the name Shanlee, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,547 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 Shanlee 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 Shanlee?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shanlee leans strongly female. 130 people counted with this name were female (97.0%), compared with 4 male bearers (3.0%). 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 Shanlee?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shanlee is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and Black (7.6%). 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 Shanlee most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Shanlee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (91 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 Shanlee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shanlee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shanlee 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 Shanlee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shanlee 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 Shanlee 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 are named Shanlee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.