Shaz
Diminutive form of the Arabic name Shazia, meaning "noble" or "brilliant".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Shaz. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shaz today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaz births was 2000 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaz. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shaz. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2000
6 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2000 SSA rank
#10,154
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Shaz: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaz 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 Shaz during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaz
The name Shaz has its origins in various cultures and languages. It is believed to be derived from the Persian name "Shāzadeh," which means "prince" or "son of the king." This name was commonly used in the Persian Empire during the medieval period, particularly among the ruling class and nobility.
In Arabic-speaking regions, the name Shaz is a variant of the name "Shāh," which is a title meaning "king" or "ruler." It was frequently used by rulers and members of royal families in the Middle East, particularly in regions influenced by Persian culture, such as Iran and parts of Central Asia.
The name Shaz can also be traced back to India, where it is a shortened form of the Sanskrit name "Shashank," which means "moon" or "brilliant." In Hindu mythology, Shashank was the name of a lunar deity associated with wisdom and knowledge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shaz can be found in the "Shahnameh," the epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The poem features several characters with variations of the name Shaz, reflecting its popularity among the Persian nobility during that time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shaz or its variants:
1. Shaz Khan (1613-1668), a Mughal nobleman and governor of Bengal in the 17th century.
2. Shaz Mirza (1539-1589), a Persian prince and military leader who fought against the Ottoman Empire.
3. Shaz al-Din Shāh (1238-1292), a Sufi mystic and poet from Persia who was influential in the spread of Sufism.
4. Shaz Ahmad Khan (1786-1845), a Pashtun military leader and ruler of the Wazir tribe in present-day Pakistan during the 19th century.
5. Shaz Hussain (1892-1961), an Indian politician and freedom fighter who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Shaz or its variants, highlighting its diverse cultural and linguistic origins across various regions and time periods.
People
Shaz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaz 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
Shaz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaz 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Shaz a common name?
We classify Shaz as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaz most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaz was 2000, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaz is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Shaz in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaz a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaz in the SSA data are male. 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 Shaz still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaz 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 Shaz 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Shaz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.