Shavelle
A French name meaning "beautiful" or "radiant".
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the first name Shavelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shavelle today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shavelle births was 1988 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shavelle. 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
117
~ 1 in 2,929,524 Americans
Peak year
1988
17 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2014 SSA rank
#18,825
Tracked since 1966
Popularity
Shavelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shavelle from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 53 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
Shavelle 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 Shavelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shavelle
The name Shavelle has its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is derived from the word "shava," which means "corpse" or "dead body," and the suffix "-elle," which is believed to have been added during the medieval period in Europe.
During the classical period of Indian history, the name was associated with individuals involved in the ritual of cremation or those who worked with the dead. It is mentioned in several Hindu scriptures and texts, particularly those related to the caste system and the duties of specific professions.
The earliest recorded use of the name Shavelle dates back to the 8th century CE, found in a manuscript describing the lives of various ascetics and spiritual practitioners in the region of present-day Rajasthan, India. One notable individual mentioned in the text is Shavelle Goswami, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived during the latter half of the 8th century.
In the 11th century, a famous poet and playwright known as Shavelle Bhatta gained prominence in the court of King Bhoja of the Paramara dynasty. His works, which included plays and poetic compositions, are still studied and celebrated in Indian literary circles today.
During the Mughal period in the 16th century, a skilled architect and engineer named Shavelle Khan was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings, including portions of the Red Fort in Delhi. His innovative architectural techniques and attention to detail earned him widespread recognition and patronage from the Mughal emperors.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure in the field of Ayurvedic medicine was Shavelle Vaidya, whose contributions to the study and practice of traditional Indian medicine were widely acclaimed. His treatises and formulations were highly influential and are still referenced by practitioners of Ayurveda today.
Another notable individual bearing the name Shavelle was a renowned martial artist and teacher from the 19th century. Shavelle Guruji was revered for his mastery of various Indian martial arts, particularly Kalaripayattu, and his teachings were sought after by students from across the subcontinent.
People
Shavelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shavelle 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
Shavelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shavelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 117 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shavelle 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 2,929,524 US residents.
Is Shavelle a common name?
We classify Shavelle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 122 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shavelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Shavelle was 1988, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shavelle is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shavelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shavelle 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.