Shaquita
A feminine name with Spanish origins, meaning "little one".
Name Census estimates that about 2,275 living Americans carry the first name Shaquita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shaquita today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaquita births was 1986 (178 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaquita. 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
2.3K
~ 1 in 150,661 Americans
Peak year
1986
178 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1989 SSA rank
#9,018
Tracked since 1970
Gender
Gender distribution for Shaquita
Out of the 2,396 babies given the name Shaquita since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Shaquita as a male name
- Ranked #9,018 in 1989
- 5 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1989 (5 births)
Shaquita as a female name
- Ranked #18,724 in 2005
- 5 female births in 2005
- Peak: 1986 (178 births)
Popularity
Shaquita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaquita 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 1,230 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
Shaquita 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 Shaquita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaquitas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. Illinois, Georgia, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Shaquita, while New Jersey, Indiana, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 77 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaquita
The name Shaquita is a feminine given name of African American origin, derived from the masculine name Shaquille, which itself has roots in the Arabic language. The name Shaquille is thought to have originated from the Arabic word "shaakir," meaning "thankful" or "appreciative."
In the late 20th century, the name Shaquita gained popularity among African American communities in the United States. It was likely inspired by the fame of basketball player Shaquille O'Neal, who was born in 1972 and became one of the most dominant players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 1990s and 2000s.
While the name Shaquita does not have a long historical lineage, it has been documented in various records from the late 20th century onward. One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Shaquita was Shaquita Salinas, an American actress born in 1976, known for her roles in films such as "The Wood" and "Love & Basketball."
Another notable individual named Shaquita was Shaquita Benton, an American professional basketball player born in 1980. Benton played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for several teams, including the Houston Comets and the Los Angeles Sparks, during the early 2000s.
In the realm of music, Shaquita Lewis, an American singer and songwriter, gained recognition for her work in the early 2000s. Lewis was born in 1982 and has collaborated with various artists, including Usher and Chris Brown.
Shaquita Nuider, born in 1988, is an American track and field athlete who specializes in sprinting events. She has represented the United States in international competitions and won medals at the Pan American Games and the World Athletics Championships.
Shaquita Roberson, an American model and television personality born in 1990, is another individual who has carried the name Shaquita. Roberson appeared on the reality TV show "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" and has gained a significant following on social media platforms.
While the name Shaquita may not have a long historical legacy, it has gained popularity and recognition in recent decades, particularly within African American communities. The individuals mentioned above have contributed to the visibility and significance of this name in various fields, including entertainment, sports, and popular culture.
People
Shaquita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaquita 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
Shaquita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaquita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,275 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaquita 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 150,661 US residents.
Is Shaquita a common name?
We classify Shaquita as "Rare". It ranks above 94.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,396 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaquita most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaquita was 1986, when 178 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaquita is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shaquita a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Shaquita 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.