Shaunta
An American feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially a combination of sounds.
Name Census estimates that about 1,145 living Americans carry the first name Shaunta. It is a predominantly female name (97.0% of registrations). The average person named Shaunta today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaunta births was 1979 (123 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaunta. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 299,349 Americans
Peak year
1979
123 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1980 SSA rank
#4,873
Tracked since 1966
Census
Shaunta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 931 people with the first name Shaunta, which placed it at #13,100 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
#13,100
National first-name rank
People counted
931
931 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
83.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaunta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaunta is Black at 83.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Shaunta 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 Shaunta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.4% · 776
- White8.6% · 80
- Two or more races4.7% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Shaunta
Shaunta leans heavily female at 97.0% of total registrations, but 37 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shaunta as a male name
- Ranked #4,873 in 1980
- 8 male births in 1980
- Peak: 1978 (11 births)
Shaunta as a female name
- Ranked #14,910 in 2006
- 7 female births in 2006
- Peak: 1979 (115 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shaunta leans strongly female. 886 people counted with this name were female (94.8%), compared with 49 male bearers (5.2%).
Popularity
Shaunta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaunta from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 585 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
Shaunta 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 Shaunta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shauntas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Illinois, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Shaunta, while Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaunta
The name Shaunta has its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India, dating back to around the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shanti," which means peace, tranquility, or calmness. The name is believed to have been first used in Hindu families, possibly as a way to bestow blessings of peace and serenity upon their newborn children.
In the early centuries after its inception, the name Shaunta was primarily found in Hindu religious texts and scriptures, often used as a reference to the state of inner peace and spiritual enlightenment sought by practitioners of yoga and meditation. It was also occasionally used as a name for female characters in ancient Indian folktales and stories, representing qualities of gentleness and composure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shaunta can be traced back to the 7th century CE, when a renowned female Sanskrit scholar and poet from the Deccan region of India was known by this name. She was celebrated for her contributions to the field of literature and her mastery of the Sanskrit language.
During the medieval period, the name Shaunta gained popularity among Hindu communities across the Indian subcontinent. It was particularly favored by families belonging to the Brahmin caste, who valued the name's association with spiritual serenity and wisdom.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Shaunta was a revered guru and spiritual teacher in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She was renowned for her teachings on the path to inner peace and self-realization, attracting many disciples who sought her guidance.
Another significant bearer of the name Shaunta was a 16th-century Rajput princess from the kingdom of Mewar in present-day Rajasthan. She was known for her courage and resilience during times of conflict, as well as her patronage of the arts and literature.
In the 19th century, a distinguished female scholar and social reformer from Bengal, India, was named Shaunta. She played a crucial role in advocating for women's education and empowerment, challenging traditional societal norms and paving the way for future generations of educated and independent women.
While the name Shaunta has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has also found its way into other cultures and regions over time, often adapted to fit local linguistic patterns and pronunciations. However, its core meaning and association with peace and tranquility have remained largely intact, making it a name that resonates with those seeking a sense of inner calm and harmony.
People
Shaunta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaunta 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
Shaunta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaunta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,145 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaunta 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 299,349 US residents.
Is Shaunta a common name?
We classify Shaunta as "Rare". It ranks above 90.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,230 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaunta most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaunta was 1979, when 123 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaunta is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shaunta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 931 people with the name Shaunta, or 0.31 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,100 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 Shaunta 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 Shaunta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shaunta leans strongly female. 886 people counted with this name were female (94.8%), compared with 49 male bearers (5.2%). 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 Shaunta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaunta is Black at 83.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Shaunta most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shaunta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (776 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 Shaunta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaunta a female name?
Yes, 97.0% of people registered as Shaunta 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 Shaunta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaunta 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 Shaunta 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 are called Shaunta?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.