Shenard
An invented name of uncertain origin, potentially meaning "son of the fox".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Shenard. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shenard today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shenard births was 1989 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shenard. 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 Shenard. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1989
5 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2004 SSA rank
#12,939
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Shenard: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shenard from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 5 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
Shenard 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 Shenard 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 Shenard
The given name Shenard has its origins in the ancient Celtic languages spoken across parts of Europe during the Iron Age, approximately between 800 BCE and the 1st century CE. The name is believed to be derived from the Proto-Celtic root *seno-, meaning "old" or "ancient," and the suffix *-ardos, which denoted a quality or characteristic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shenard can be found in a collection of inscriptions from the region of modern-day France, dating back to the 1st century BCE. These inscriptions suggest that the name was in use among the Gaulish tribes that inhabited the area at the time.
In the 5th century CE, a historical figure named Shenard appears in the writings of the British monk Gildas, who documented the lives of prominent individuals during the sub-Roman period in Britain. Gildas describes Shenard as a chieftain of the Britons who led resistance efforts against the invading Anglo-Saxons.
Another notable individual bearing the name Shenard was a 9th-century Frankish nobleman and military leader who served under the Carolingian dynasty. He is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles for his role in defending the Frankish territories against Viking raids.
During the Middle Ages, the name Shenard was particularly popular among the Welsh people, where it was often spelled as "Shenart" or "Shenhart." One prominent example is Shenard ap Rhys, a 12th-century Welsh prince and heir to the kingdom of Deheubarth, who is recorded in various medieval Welsh genealogies.
In the 16th century, a Scottish scholar and historian named Shenard Boece (c. 1465 - 1536) gained recognition for his works on Scottish history and the lives of notable figures from that period. His writings, including the "Historia Gentis Scotorum" and "Vitae Episcoporum Murthlacensium," were influential in preserving and documenting Scotland's cultural heritage.
While the name Shenard has become less common in modern times, it has left a lasting imprint on the historical record, serving as a reminder of the rich linguistic and cultural traditions of the ancient Celtic peoples.
People
Shenard + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shenard 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
Shenard: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shenard?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shenard 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Shenard a common name?
We classify Shenard as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shenard most popular?
The single biggest year for Shenard was 1989, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shenard is about 29 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 Shenard in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shenard a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shenard 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 Shenard still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shenard 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 Shenard 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 are named Shenard?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Shenard at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.