Shawnie
Shawnie is a feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "from the woods".
Name Census estimates that about 510 living Americans carry the first name Shawnie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shawnie today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shawnie births was 1992 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shawnie. 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
510
~ 1 in 672,067 Americans
Peak year
1992
36 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2014 SSA rank
#18,829
Tracked since 1949
Popularity
Shawnie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shawnie from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 189 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
Shawnie 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 Shawnie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shawnies live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shawnie
The name Shawnie has its roots in the Scottish Gaelic language and culture. It is a diminutive form of the name Shawn, which itself is derived from the Irish name Seán or Séan, meaning "God is gracious" or "God's gift." The earliest recorded use of the name Shawnie dates back to the 17th century in Scotland.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Shawnie was Shawnie MacLeod, a Scottish Highlander who lived in the late 17th century. He was known for his bravery and loyalty to the MacLeod clan during the tumultuous times of the Jacobite uprisings.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named Shawnie Campbell gained recognition for her involvement in the Battle of Culloden in 1746. She is said to have fought alongside her husband, defying gender norms of the time, and her bravery was celebrated in Scottish folk songs and stories.
Moving into the 19th century, Shawnie Douglas, a Scottish poet and writer, was born in 1820. He is remembered for his contributions to the literary scene in Scotland, particularly his poems and short stories that captured the essence of rural life in the Highlands.
Another prominent individual with the name Shawnie was Shawnie Mackenzie, a Scottish explorer and naturalist born in 1856. He is known for his expeditions to the Arctic regions, where he studied the flora and fauna, as well as the indigenous cultures of the far north.
In the 20th century, Shawnie Grant, a Scottish musician and singer, was born in 1925. She gained popularity for her interpretations of traditional Scottish folk songs and her efforts in preserving the rich musical heritage of her homeland.
While the name Shawnie has Scottish roots, it has also found its way into other cultures and languages over time, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its strong connection to Scottish heritage and the Gaelic language remains a significant part of its history and cultural significance.
People
Shawnie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shawnie 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
Shawnie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shawnie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 510 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shawnie 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 672,067 US residents.
Is Shawnie a common name?
We classify Shawnie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 559 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shawnie most popular?
The single biggest year for Shawnie was 1992, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shawnie is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shawnie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shawnie 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.