Shavaughn
An Irish name of uncertain meaning, possibly related to the phrase "bán buí" (white and yellow).
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the first name Shavaughn. It is a predominantly female name (94.1% of registrations). The average person named Shavaughn today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shavaughn births was 1980 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shavaughn. 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
175
~ 1 in 1,958,596 Americans
Peak year
1980
13 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1995 SSA rank
#10,088
Tracked since 1977
Census
Shavaughn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 236 people with the first name Shavaughn, which placed it at #34,545 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
#34,545
National first-name rank
People counted
236
236 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
80.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shavaughn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shavaughn is Black at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Shavaughn 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 Shavaughn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.5% · 190
- White11.4% · 27
- Two or more races5.5% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Shavaughn
Shavaughn leans heavily female at 94.1% of total registrations, but 11 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shavaughn as a male name
- Ranked #10,088 in 1995
- 5 male births in 1995
- Peak: 1993 (6 births)
Shavaughn as a female name
- Ranked #15,463 in 2003
- 6 female births in 2003
- Peak: 1980 (13 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shavaughn leans strongly female. 193 people counted with this name were female (82.1%), compared with 42 male bearers (17.9%).
Popularity
Shavaughn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shavaughn 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 108 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
Shavaughn 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 Shavaughn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shavaughns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shavaughn
The name Shavaughn has its origins in the Irish language, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a masculine name derived from the Old Irish word "Seabhac," meaning "hawk." The name was often bestowed upon those born in areas where hawks were abundant or revered for their hunting prowess.
During the medieval period, the name Shavaughn was concentrated primarily in Ireland's northern and western regions. It was particularly prevalent among families with strong ties to the ancient Gaelic clans. Variations in spelling, such as Shavaun, Shavon, and Shavaughn, arose due to regional dialects and the influence of other languages.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Shavaughn can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1088, a nobleman named Shavaughn Ua Conchobair is documented as having participated in a renowned battle against the Normans.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Shavaughn. In the 14th century, Shavaughn Mac Diarmada was a skilled poet and bard who composed works celebrating the exploits of Irish warriors. His poetry remains an important part of the cultural heritage of County Sligo.
During the 16th century, Shavaughn O'Donnell was a celebrated chieftain and military commander from County Donegal. He played a pivotal role in the Nine Years' War against English forces, earning him a reputation as a formidable leader and defender of Irish sovereignty.
In the 17th century, Shavaughn O'Neill was a prominent figure in the Irish Confederate Wars. Born in 1612, he led rebel forces against the English Parliament and became a symbol of Irish resistance during the tumultuous period of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
Another notable bearer of the name was Shavaughn MacCaughwell, a renowned scholar and historian from County Mayo. Born in 1718, he dedicated his life to preserving and documenting the rich cultural traditions and genealogies of Irish clans, leaving behind a valuable collection of manuscripts.
While the name Shavaughn was primarily used in Ireland, its legacy has transcended borders, with variations appearing in other parts of the world. The name continues to be a proud representation of Irish heritage and a connection to the island's storied past.
People
Shavaughn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shavaughn 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
Shavaughn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shavaughn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 175 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shavaughn 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 1,958,596 US residents.
Is Shavaughn a common name?
We classify Shavaughn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 185 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shavaughn most popular?
The single biggest year for Shavaughn was 1980, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shavaughn is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shavaughn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 236 people with the name Shavaughn, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,545 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 Shavaughn 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 Shavaughn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shavaughn leans strongly female. 193 people counted with this name were female (82.1%), compared with 42 male bearers (17.9%). 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 Shavaughn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shavaughn is Black at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Shavaughn most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shavaughn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (190 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 Shavaughn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shavaughn a female name?
Yes, 94.1% of people registered as Shavaughn 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 Shavaughn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shavaughn 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 Shavaughn 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 Shavaughn as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Shavaughn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.