Shaquetta
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Shaquille.
Name Census estimates that about 439 living Americans carry the first name Shaquetta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shaquetta today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaquetta births was 1990 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaquetta. 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
439
~ 1 in 780,762 Americans
Peak year
1990
42 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1998 SSA rank
#16,178
Tracked since 1974
Census
Shaquetta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 358 people with the first name Shaquetta, which placed it at #26,164 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
#26,164
National first-name rank
People counted
358
358 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaquetta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaquetta is Black at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and White (1.1%). 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 Shaquetta 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 Shaquetta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.3% · 341
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 7
- White1.1% · 4
- Two or more races1.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Shaquetta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaquetta from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 217 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaquetta 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 Shaquetta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaquettas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. South Carolina, North Carolina, New York recorded the most babies named Shaquetta, while Virginia, New York, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaquetta
The given name Shaquetta originated in the late 20th century and is a variation of the name Shaquille, which has its roots in the Arabic language. The name Shaquille is derived from the Arabic word "shakaala," meaning "to toil" or "to struggle." It gained popularity in the United States, particularly within African American communities, and is often associated with strength and perseverance.
While the name Shaquetta does not have a direct historical reference in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it can be seen as a modern adaptation of the name Shaquille, which has been in use for centuries within Arabic-speaking cultures. The earliest recorded use of the name Shaquetta is believed to be in the late 20th century, though the exact origin and date of its introduction are uncertain.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Shaquetta is Shaquetta Miller, an American actress and model known for her roles in television shows and films such as "The Wire" and "Precious." Miller was born in 1982 and has been active in the entertainment industry since the early 2000s.
Another notable individual with the name Shaquetta is Shaquetta Roberson, an American basketball player who played for several teams in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) during the early 2000s. Roberson was born in 1979 and had a successful career in professional basketball before retiring in the late 2000s.
Shaquetta Nunn is an American educator and author who has written several books focused on empowering young people and promoting education. Nunn was born in the 1970s and has dedicated her career to making a positive impact in the field of education.
In the world of music, Shaquetta Roberson is a American singer and songwriter known for her work in the R&B and gospel genres. Roberson has released several albums and has been active in the music industry since the late 1990s.
Lastly, Shaquetta Swain is an American entrepreneur and business leader who has founded and led several successful companies. Swain has been recognized for her achievements in the field of entrepreneurship and has been featured in various publications and media outlets.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Shaquetta. While the name may be relatively modern in its origins, it has gained popularity and recognition across various fields and endeavors.
People
Shaquetta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaquetta 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
Shaquetta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaquetta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 439 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaquetta 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 780,762 US residents.
Is Shaquetta a common name?
We classify Shaquetta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 462 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaquetta most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaquetta was 1990, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaquetta 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 Shaquetta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 358 people with the name Shaquetta, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,164 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 Shaquetta 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 Shaquetta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shaquetta appears almost entirely female. Of the 355 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 Shaquetta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaquetta is Black at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and White (1.1%). 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 Shaquetta most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shaquetta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (341 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 Shaquetta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaquetta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaquetta 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 Shaquetta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaquetta 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 Shaquetta 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 Shaquetta as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.