Shawnte
A feminine name derived from the name Shante, meaning "she walks with pride".
Name Census estimates that about 1,390 living Americans carry the first name Shawnte. It is a predominantly female name (93.1% of registrations). The average person named Shawnte today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shawnte births was 1977 (215 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shawnte. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 246,586 Americans
Peak year
1977
215 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1989 SSA rank
#7,761
Tracked since 1968
Gender
Gender distribution for Shawnte
Shawnte leans heavily female at 93.1% of total registrations, but 102 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shawnte as a male name
- Ranked #7,761 in 1989
- 6 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1978 (20 births)
Shawnte as a female name
- Ranked #20,103 in 2007
- 5 female births in 2007
- Peak: 1977 (207 births)
Popularity
Shawnte: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shawnte 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 603 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
Shawnte 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 Shawnte during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shawntes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Ohio, New York recorded the most babies named Shawnte, while New Jersey, North Carolina, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shawnte
The given name Shawnte is a modern English variant that emerged in the 20th century. Its origins can be traced back to the French name Sainte, which is the feminine form of Saint, meaning "holy" or "sacred." The name Sainte itself has its roots in the Latin word "sanctus," which carries the same meaning.
Shawnte's linguistic journey likely began with the French name Sainte being anglicized to Sante or Shante upon its introduction to English-speaking regions. Over time, the spelling evolved further, leading to variations like Shawnte. This name's evolution is a testament to the fluidity of language and the influence of cultural exchanges on naming traditions.
While Shawnte does not have direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its connection to the concept of holiness or sanctity may have held significance in certain contexts. The earliest recorded examples of the name Shawnte itself are relatively recent, reflecting its modern origins.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the name Shawnte throughout history, one can mention:
1. Shawnte Jenkins (born 1987), an American professional basketball player.
2. Shawnte Hawkins (born 1978), an American former professional basketball player.
3. Shawnte Goff (born 1982), an American former collegiate basketball player.
4. Shawnte Jones (born 1988), an American former collegiate basketball player.
5. Shawnte Zellers (born 1983), an American former collegiate basketball player.
While these individuals may not be widely recognized historical figures, their presence demonstrates the usage and popularity of the name Shawnte in contemporary times, particularly within certain communities and cultural contexts.
People
Shawnte + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shawnte 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
Shawnte: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shawnte?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,390 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shawnte 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 246,586 US residents.
Is Shawnte a common name?
We classify Shawnte as "Rare". It ranks above 92% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,487 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shawnte most popular?
The single biggest year for Shawnte was 1977, when 215 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shawnte is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shawnte a female name?
Yes, 93.1% of people registered as Shawnte 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.