Find out how popular the first name Shanquetta has been for the last 6 years (from 1986 to 1991) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Shanquetta by gender

Based on the last 6 years of data, Shanquetta is exclusively a female name.

For the most recent data in 1991, there were 8 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Shanquetta.

The history of the first name Shanquetta

The name Shanquetta is believed to have originated from the Bantu language family, which consists of several hundred ethnic groups primarily located in central and southern Africa. The earliest recorded use of this name dates back to the 17th century, during the height of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Shanquetta is derived from the Kimbundu word "shanqueleta," meaning "daughter of the wind." The Kimbundu people were one of the major ethnic groups in Angola, which was a significant source of enslaved Africans brought to the Americas during the slave trade era. It is likely that the name Shanquetta was initially given to girls born to Kimbundu or other Bantu women who were forcibly transported to the Caribbean or the Americas.

In the late 18th century, a woman named Shanquetta Ntumba was recorded as one of the leaders of a major slave revolt in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti). Ntumba was instrumental in organizing the rebellion, which ultimately led to the establishment of the independent nation of Haiti in 1804.

Another notable figure with the name Shanquetta was Shanquetta Ellington, a renowned African-American educator and civil rights activist who lived from 1892 to 1978. Ellington was a prominent figure in the fight for desegregation and equal education opportunities for Black students in the United States.

In the early 20th century, a woman named Shanquetta Delgado made history as the first Black woman to be elected to the Panamanian National Assembly. Delgado served as a representative from 1932 to 1936 and was a vocal advocate for the rights of Afro-Panamanians.

The name Shanquetta also has religious significance within some Afro-diasporic spiritual traditions. In the Haitian Vodou religion, Shanquetta is one of the names associated with the loa (spirit) Erzulie Freda, who represents love, beauty, and femininity.

Throughout the 20th century, several other notable individuals have borne the name Shanquetta, including Shanquetta Smith, a renowned jazz singer from New Orleans, and Shanquetta Curry, a pioneering Black businesswoman who founded one of the first African-American-owned banks in the United States.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Shanquetta was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shanquetta, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!