Shawni
A feminine form of the name John, of Hebrew origin meaning "God is gracious."
Name Census estimates that about 211 living Americans carry the first name Shawni. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shawni today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shawni births was 1992 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shawni. 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
211
~ 1 in 1,624,428 Americans
Peak year
1992
35 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1997 SSA rank
#11,895
Tracked since 1962
Census
Shawni in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 277 people with the first name Shawni, which placed it at #31,090 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
#31,090
National first-name rank
People counted
277
277 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
71.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shawni
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shawni is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (6.5%). 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 Shawni 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 Shawni at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.5% · 198
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 28
- Black or African American6.5% · 18
- Two or more races6.1% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 7
Popularity
Shawni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shawni from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 118 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shawni 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 Shawni 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 Shawni
The name Shawni has its roots in the Gaelic language, originating from the Scottish Highlands and parts of Ireland. It is believed to have derived from the Old Irish name Seán or Sìne, meaning "God is gracious" or "God's gift." This name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in the 10th and 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shawni can be traced back to a historic figure named Shawni of Argyll, who lived in the late 12th century. He was a renowned Scottish warrior and chieftain known for his bravery and leadership during the Scottish Wars of Independence against England.
In the 14th century, a notable individual named Shawni MacLeod was a prominent member of the Clan MacLeod on the Isle of Skye. She was renowned for her skills in traditional Gaelic poetry and storytelling, and her works were widely celebrated throughout the Scottish Highlands.
During the 16th century, a historic figure named Shawni MacDonald played a pivotal role in the Jacobite Risings, supporting the claims of the Stuart kings to the British throne. Her unwavering loyalty and courage during these turbulent times earned her a place in Scottish history.
Another famous bearer of the name Shawni was an Irish writer and poet from the 18th century, Shawni O'Sullivan. Born in County Cork, her works celebrated the rich cultural heritage of Ireland and played a significant role in preserving Irish literature and traditions.
In the 19th century, Shawni Mackenzie was a Scottish explorer and adventurer who gained recognition for her daring expeditions across the Canadian wilderness. Her remarkable journey and contributions to the field of exploration were documented in her widely-read memoir, "Tales from the Great Northwest."
While the name Shawni has its roots in Scottish and Irish cultures, it has since gained popularity worldwide, with variations in spelling and pronunciation across different regions. However, its historical significance and connection to the Gaelic heritage remain a testament to the enduring legacy of this name.
People
Shawni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shawni 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
Shawni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shawni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 211 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shawni 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 1,624,428 US residents.
Is Shawni a common name?
We classify Shawni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 230 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shawni most popular?
The single biggest year for Shawni was 1992, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shawni is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shawni in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 277 people with the name Shawni, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,090 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 Shawni 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 Shawni?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shawni leans strongly female. 267 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 5 male bearers (1.8%). 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 Shawni?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shawni is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (6.5%). 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 Shawni most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Shawni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.5% (198 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 Shawni in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shawni a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shawni 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 Shawni still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shawni 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 Shawni 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 share the name Shawni?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.