Shanya
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "praiseworthy".
Name Census estimates that about 2,113 living Americans carry the first name Shanya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shanya today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shanya births was 2003 (182 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shanya. 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
2.1K
~ 1 in 162,212 Americans
Peak year
2003
182 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,220
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Shanya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shanya from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,354 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shanya 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 Shanya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shanyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. New York, Florida, Georgia recorded the most babies named Shanya, while Missouri, Kentucky, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 52 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shanya
The name Shanya finds its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest languages in the world and the primary sacred language of Hinduism. It is believed to have emerged around the 2nd century BCE in ancient India. The name Shanya is derived from the Sanskrit word "Shani," which refers to the planet Saturn in Hindu astrology and mythology.
In Hindu mythology, Shani is considered the lord of karma and is associated with obstacles, hardships, and lessons in life. The name Shanya is often given to children in the hope that they will possess the strength and resilience to overcome life's challenges, much like the planet Saturn's influence in astrological charts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shanya can be found in the ancient Hindu text, the Mahabharata. In this epic, there is a character named Shanya, who was a skilled archer and warrior. However, beyond this literary reference, there is limited historical documentation about the use of this name in ancient times.
Throughout history, the name Shanya has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the most famous was Shanya Alamri, a 9th-century Arabian philosopher and scholar who made significant contributions to the fields of metaphysics and logic. Another notable figure was Shanya Devi, a 16th-century Indian mystic and poet who wrote extensively about spiritual enlightenment and the divine.
In more recent times, Shanya Krishnan (born 1983) is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who has received numerous accolades for her performances and contributions to the art form. Shanya Kapoor (born 1995) is a contemporary Indian actress who has appeared in several Bollywood films and television shows.
Additionally, Shanya Ghosh (1932-2018) was a pioneering Indian artist who was known for her vibrant and expressive paintings, often depicting the lives of women and their struggles. Her works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums around the world.
People
Shanya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shanya 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
Shanya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shanya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,113 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shanya 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 162,212 US residents.
Is Shanya a common name?
We classify Shanya as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,156 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shanya most popular?
The single biggest year for Shanya was 2003, when 182 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shanya is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shanya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shanya 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.