Shemarr
A masculine name likely derived from the Semitic root "sh-m-r", meaning "to guard" or "to watch over".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Shemarr. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shemarr today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shemarr births was 1998 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shemarr. 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 Shemarr. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1998
6 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2002 SSA rank
#12,221
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Shemarr: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shemarr from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 6 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
Shemarr 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 Shemarr 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 Shemarr
The name Shemarr has its origins in the ancient Semitic languages of the Middle East. It is believed to be derived from the root words "sh'mr" or "shemer," meaning "to guard" or "to protect." This name gained prominence during the biblical era and is mentioned in various ancient texts and scriptures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shemarr is found in the Book of Genesis, where it is mentioned as the name of one of the sons of Dedan, a descendant of Abraham. This suggests that the name was in use among the ancient Semitic tribes of the Arabian Peninsula.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shemarr. One of the most famous was Shemarr ibn Haushab (c. 650 CE – 728 CE), a prominent Arab poet and scholar from the Umayyad era. His poetry and literary works have been widely celebrated and studied in the Islamic world.
Another significant figure was Shemarr al-Dimashqi (c. 1256 – 1327), a renowned Syrian philosopher and theologian during the Mamluk period. His writings on Islamic philosophy and jurisprudence have had a lasting impact on Islamic thought.
In the realm of religion, Shemarr al-Makki (c. 935 – 996) was a revered Sufi mystic and scholar from Mecca. His spiritual teachings and writings on Sufism have greatly influenced the mystical traditions of Islam.
During the medieval period, Shemarr ibn Tariq (c. 1070 – 1138) was a celebrated Arab mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of trigonometry and the study of celestial bodies.
Lastly, Shemarr al-Andalusi (c. 1120 – 1193) was a renowned Andalusian poet and philosopher who lived during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization in Spain. His poetic works and philosophical treatises have been widely studied and admired for their depth and beauty.
While the name Shemarr has its roots in the ancient Semitic languages, it has transcended cultural and geographical boundaries, finding recognition and use across various regions and eras throughout history.
People
Shemarr + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shemarr 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
Shemarr: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shemarr?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shemarr 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Shemarr a common name?
We classify Shemarr as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shemarr most popular?
The single biggest year for Shemarr was 1998, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shemarr 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 Shemarr in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shemarr a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shemarr 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 Shemarr still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shemarr 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 Shemarr 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 have the name Shemarr?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.