Shaquana
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Shaquonda meaning "she is praised".
Name Census estimates that about 2,175 living Americans carry the first name Shaquana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shaquana today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaquana births was 1991 (209 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaquana. 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 Shaquana with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 157,588 Americans
Peak year
1991
209 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2005 SSA rank
#18,723
Tracked since 1973
Census
Shaquana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,749 people with the first name Shaquana, which placed it at #8,321 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
#8,321
National first-name rank
People counted
1.7K
1,749 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaquana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaquana is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Shaquana 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 Shaquana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.2% · 1,647
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 52
- Two or more races1.8% · 31
- White0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
Popularity
Shaquana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaquana from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 1,022 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
Shaquana 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 Shaquana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaquanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Shaquana, while Texas, Massachusetts, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 104 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaquana
The name Shaquana has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with its earliest roots dating back to the 7th century AD, during the time of the Islamic Golden Age. The name is derived from the Arabic word "shaqiya," which means "fortunate" or "blessed." It is believed to have been a popular name among the Arab populations of the Middle East and North Africa during this period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shaquana can be found in the writings of the renowned Arabic poet and scholar, Abu Nuwas, who lived from 756 to 814 AD. In his poetry, he mentions a woman named Shaquana, describing her as a beautiful and virtuous woman of high standing in society.
Throughout the centuries, the name Shaquana has been borne by several notable individuals. One such person was Shaquana al-Zahra, a renowned Islamic scholar and poet who lived in Cordoba, Spain, during the 10th century AD. She was known for her contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and her beautiful poetry.
In the 12th century, there was a famous Sufi mystic named Shaquana al-Qadiri, who was born in Baghdad and traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, spreading the teachings of Sufism. She was renowned for her spiritual wisdom and her ability to perform miracles.
Another notable figure was Shaquana bint Abi Bakr, who lived in the 17th century and was a prominent female warrior and military leader in the Ottoman Empire. She played a crucial role in defending the city of Baghdad against Persian invaders and was celebrated for her bravery and tactical skills.
In the 19th century, there was a famous Egyptian novelist and feminist named Shaquana al-Naqqash, who was a pioneer in the field of Arabic literature and fought for women's rights in the Middle East. Her works were widely read and influential in shaping the discourse on gender equality during that time.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Shaquana, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and the diverse backgrounds of those who have carried this name with pride.
People
Shaquana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaquana 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
Shaquana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaquana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,175 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaquana 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 157,588 US residents.
Is Shaquana a common name?
We classify Shaquana as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,286 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaquana most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaquana was 1991, when 209 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaquana 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 Shaquana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,749 people with the name Shaquana, or 0.58 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,321 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 Shaquana 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 Shaquana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shaquana appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,748 people counted with this name, 99.8% 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 Shaquana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaquana is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Shaquana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shaquana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (1,647 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 Shaquana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaquana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaquana 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 Shaquana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaquana 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 Shaquana 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 share the name Shaquana?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.