Shena
A feminine English name meaning "Wanderer" from the Gaelic.
Name Census estimates that about 2,157 living Americans carry the first name Shena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shena today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shena births was 1984 (198 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shena. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Shena with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 158,903 Americans
Peak year
1984
198 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2018 SSA rank
#15,392
Tracked since 1952
Census
Shena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,155 people with the first name Shena, which placed it at #7,156 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
#7,156
National first-name rank
People counted
2.2K
2,155 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
42.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shena is White at 42.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%). 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 Shena 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 Shena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.7% · 921
- Black or African American39.9% · 859
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.7% · 123
- Two or more races5.2% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 35
Popularity
Shena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shena from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 1,139 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
Shena 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 Shena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 25 states and territories. California, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Shena, while Washington, Maryland, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shena
The name Shena is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, with roots tracing back to ancient India. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "shena," which means "army" or "military force." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with warriors, soldiers, or individuals of military prowess.
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata, there are references to characters bearing names similar to Shena. One notable mention is Shenaka, a sage and teacher in the Mahabharata epic. Additionally, the name Shena appears in various regional variations across South Asia, indicating its widespread use and adaptation.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shena can be traced back to the 6th century CE, where it was found inscribed on ancient temples and monuments in parts of India. During this time period, the name gained popularity among the ruling warrior clans and noble families, reflecting its association with strength and valor.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shena. One such figure was Shena Kashmiri (1268-1339), a renowned poet and scholar from the Kashmir region, known for his contributions to Persian literature. Another prominent figure was Shena Shah (1514-1572), a military commander and ruler of the Sultanate of Bengal, who played a significant role in the region's history during the 16th century.
In the realm of literature, Shena Gupta (1908-1991) was a celebrated Bengali novelist and playwright, renowned for her works exploring social issues and women's experiences. Shena Sahib (1885-1958), on the other hand, was a renowned Indian classical vocalist and musician, who made significant contributions to the field of Hindustani music.
Lastly, Shena Digby (1929-2011) was a British writer and historian, known for her extensive research and publications on the history of ancient India and the Indus Valley Civilization.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have carried the name Shena throughout history, spanning various fields such as literature, music, military, and academia.
People
Shena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shena 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
Shena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,157 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shena 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 158,903 US residents.
Is Shena a common name?
We classify Shena as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,356 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shena most popular?
The single biggest year for Shena was 1984, when 198 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shena is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,155 people with the name Shena, or 0.71 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,156 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 Shena 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 Shena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shena appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,149 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Shena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shena is White at 42.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%). 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 Shena most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Shena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.7% (921 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 Shena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shena 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 Shena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shena 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 Shena 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 Americans are named Shena?
See how many Americans are named Shena on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.