Shaquille
A masculine Arabic name meaning "handsome and excellent storyteller".
Name Census estimates that about 5,965 living Americans carry the first name Shaquille. It is a predominantly male name (93.7% of registrations). The average person named Shaquille today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaquille births was 1993 (1,911 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaquille. 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
6.0K
~ 1 in 57,461 Americans
Peak year
1993
1,911 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,956
Tracked since 1989
Gender
Gender distribution for Shaquille
Shaquille leans heavily male at 93.7% of total registrations, but 387 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shaquille as a male name
- Ranked #3,956 in 2024
- 28 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1993 (1,785 births)
Shaquille as a female name
- Ranked #4,991 in 1995
- 20 female births in 1995
- Peak: 1993 (126 births)
Popularity
Shaquille: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaquille from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 5,201 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
Shaquille 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 Shaquille during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaquilles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 38 states and territories. New York, Illinois, Florida recorded the most babies named Shaquille, while Iowa, West Virginia, Rhode Island recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 129 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaquille
The given name Shaquille traces its origins to the Arabic language and Islamic culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "Shaker," which means "grateful" or "thankful." This name gained prominence during the medieval period and was particularly popular in regions with significant Arab and Muslim influence.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Shaquille can be found in historical texts from the 8th century, where it was mentioned as the name of a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian. This scholar, known as Shaquille ibn Khalid, was widely respected for his contributions to the study of Islamic jurisprudence and his expertise in the interpretation of the Qur'an.
Throughout the centuries, the name Shaquille has been associated with several notable figures in various fields. One such individual was Shaquille al-Andalusi, a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the 10th century who made significant contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another historical figure bearing the name Shaquille was a renowned poet and author from the 12th century, known as Shaquille al-Gharnati. His poetic works were widely celebrated and served as an influential literary source during the medieval period.
In the realm of politics and leadership, Shaquille ibn Abi Amir, also known as Almanzor, was a prominent military commander and de facto ruler of the Caliphate of Cordoba in the late 10th century. His military prowess and strategic leadership played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Caliphate's territories.
Fast-forwarding to more recent times, Shaquille O'Neal, the legendary basketball player and athlete, has undoubtedly been one of the most famous bearers of this name. Born in 1972, O'Neal's athletic achievements and charismatic personality have made him a household name worldwide, contributing to the increased popularity and recognition of the name Shaquille.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Shaquille
People
Shaquille + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaquille 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
Shaquille: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaquille?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,965 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaquille 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 57,461 US residents.
Is Shaquille a common name?
We classify Shaquille as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaquille most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaquille was 1993, when 1,911 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaquille is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shaquille a male name?
Yes, 93.7% of people registered as Shaquille in the SSA data are male. 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.