Shantelle
Feminine name of French origin meaning "peaceful".
Name Census estimates that about 2,530 living Americans carry the first name Shantelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shantelle today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shantelle births was 1987 (124 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shantelle. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Shantelle with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.5K
~ 1 in 135,476 Americans
Peak year
1987
124 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2019 SSA rank
#10,368
Tracked since 1964
Census
Shantelle in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,257 people with the first name Shantelle, which placed it at #6,936 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
#6,936
National first-name rank
People counted
2.3K
2,257 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
41.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shantelle
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shantelle is Black at 41.2%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Hispanic (14.5%). 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 Shantelle 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 Shantelle at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American41.2% · 930
- White31.9% · 719
- Hispanic or Latino14.5% · 327
- Two or more races6.8% · 154
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 44
Popularity
Shantelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shantelle from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 911 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
Shantelle 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 Shantelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shantelles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. Louisiana, California, New York recorded the most babies named Shantelle, while Wisconsin, New Jersey, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 43 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shantelle
The name Shantelle is of French origin and is a variant of the French name Chantelle. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "cantus," meaning "song" or "melody." The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 12th century in the region of Champagne, France.
The name Shantelle was likely popularized in France during the Middle Ages, when it was associated with the profession of troubadours, who were traveling poets and musicians. The name may have been given to those who had a talent for singing or composing music.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shantelle was a French noblewoman named Shantelle de Montfort, who lived in the 13th century. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support for troubadours.
In the 16th century, a French poet and musician named Shantelle Desportes gained fame for her lyrical compositions and performances at the court of King Henry IV. She was highly regarded for her skill and creativity.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure named Shantelle de Rieux was a prominent patron of the arts in France. She was known for her support of artists, writers, and musicians, and her influence in the cultural circles of the time.
In the 18th century, a French composer and musician named Shantelle Leclair contributed significantly to the development of the violin repertoire. Her compositions were widely performed and celebrated for their technical brilliance and emotional depth.
Another historical figure with the name Shantelle was a French revolutionary and writer named Shantelle Rémusat, who lived during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She was an influential figure in the intellectual circles of her time and wrote extensively on philosophy, politics, and social issues.
While the name Shantelle has French roots, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, its historical significance and association with the arts and culture of France remain an integral part of its narrative.
People
Shantelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shantelle 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
Shantelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shantelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,530 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shantelle 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 135,476 US residents.
Is Shantelle a common name?
We classify Shantelle as "Rare". It ranks above 94.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,680 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shantelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Shantelle was 1987, when 124 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shantelle 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 Shantelle in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,257 people with the name Shantelle, or 0.75 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,936 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 Shantelle 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 Shantelle?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shantelle appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,251 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Shantelle?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shantelle is Black at 41.2%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Hispanic (14.5%). 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 Shantelle most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shantelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.2% (930 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 Shantelle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shantelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shantelle 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 Shantelle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shantelle 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 Shantelle 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 common is the name Shantelle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.