Shaquala
Unusual name of unknown origin with potential meanings relating to "shaking" or Native American words.
Name Census estimates that about 341 living Americans carry the first name Shaquala. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shaquala today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaquala births was 1992 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaquala. 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
341
~ 1 in 1,005,145 Americans
Peak year
1992
36 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2004 SSA rank
#15,772
Tracked since 1982
Census
Shaquala in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 289 people with the first name Shaquala, which placed it at #30,250 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
#30,250
National first-name rank
People counted
289
289 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaquala
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaquala is Black at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and White (2.1%). 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 Shaquala 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 Shaquala at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.8% · 271
- Two or more races3.5% · 10
- White2.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Shaquala: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaquala from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 226 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaquala 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 Shaquala during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaqualas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Shaquala, while South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaquala
The given name Shaquala has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots dating back to the 7th century CE during the early Islamic era. It is derived from the Arabic word "shaqala," which means "to be diligent" or "to work hard." The name's earliest known spelling variations include "Shaqala" and "Shaqalah."
One of the earliest known references to the name Shaquala can be found in ancient Islamic texts and manuscripts from the 8th century CE. These texts often mentioned individuals with this name, suggesting it was in use during that time period among Arab populations.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shaquala. One of the earliest recorded was Shaquala ibn Abi Bakr (712-782 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian from Basra, Iraq. Another prominent figure was Shaquala al-Andalusi (1035-1101), a poet and literary critic from Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain).
In the 12th century, Shaquala bint al-Hasan (1120-1198) was a celebrated Arabic poet and calligrapher from Cairo, Egypt. Her work was widely acclaimed and influential during her lifetime.
During the Ottoman Empire era, Shaquala Hatun (1495-1566) was a prominent Ottoman princess and philanthropist. She was known for her charitable works and for founding several educational institutions in Istanbul.
More recently, Shaquala Al-Ghamdi (1932-2015) was a Saudi Arabian author and women's rights activist. She wrote extensively on issues related to women's empowerment and played a significant role in advocating for gender equality in Saudi Arabia.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Shaquala throughout history, spanning different eras and regions. The name's Arabic roots and meanings related to diligence and hard work have undoubtedly contributed to its enduring use and cultural significance over the centuries.
People
Shaquala + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaquala 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
Shaquala: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaquala?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 341 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaquala 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 1,005,145 US residents.
Is Shaquala a common name?
We classify Shaquala as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 355 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaquala most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaquala was 1992, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaquala is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shaquala in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 289 people with the name Shaquala, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,250 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 Shaquala 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 Shaquala?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shaquala appears almost entirely female. Of the 287 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Shaquala?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaquala is Black at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and White (2.1%). 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 Shaquala most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shaquala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (271 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 Shaquala in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaquala a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaquala 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 Shaquala still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaquala 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 Shaquala 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 Shaquala?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.