Shenique
Of unknown origin, possibly a contracted form of a French name.
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the first name Shenique. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shenique today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shenique births was 1991 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shenique. 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
250
~ 1 in 1,371,017 Americans
Peak year
1991
19 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2002 SSA rank
#15,118
Tracked since 1972
Census
Shenique in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 298 people with the first name Shenique, which placed it at #29,601 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
#29,601
National first-name rank
People counted
298
298 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
90.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shenique
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shenique is Black at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Shenique 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 Shenique at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American90.9% · 271
- Two or more races3.7% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 9
- White1.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Shenique: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shenique from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 93 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
Shenique 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 Shenique during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sheniques live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shenique
The name Shenique has its origins in the Caribbean, specifically in the French Antillean culture of the West Indies. It is a feminine given name that emerged in the late 20th century, blending elements from French and African influences.
The name Shenique is believed to be a combination of the French prefix "chic," meaning stylish or fashionable, and the suffix "-ique," which is commonly found in French Caribbean names. This blend reflects the rich cultural heritage of the region, where French and African traditions intertwine.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient texts or historical documents, its relatively recent emergence suggests a modern creation within the French Antillean community. The name's popularity grew in the latter part of the 20th century, particularly in the Caribbean islands and among the French Antillean diaspora communities.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shenique was Shenique A. Brown, an American author and motivational speaker born in the 1970s. Her works focused on empowerment and personal development, reflecting the name's association with confidence and style.
Another notable figure was Shenique Parks, a Jamaican-American sprinter who competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. Her athletic achievements brought recognition to the name on the international stage.
In the world of entertainment, Shenique Cargill is a Jamaican-American model and actress who has appeared in various television shows and films since the early 2000s.
The name Shenique also gained recognition through the character of Shenique Johnson, a recurring role in the popular American sitcom "Martin," played by actress Tichina Arnold in the 1990s.
Lastly, Shenique Davis was a Trinidadian soca artist and songwriter who rose to prominence in the early 2000s, contributing to the vibrant music scene of the Caribbean.
While the name Shenique may not have a long historical lineage, its unique blend of French and African influences has captured the essence of the multicultural Caribbean region, embodying a sense of style, confidence, and cultural pride.
People
Shenique + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shenique 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
Shenique: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shenique?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 250 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shenique 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 1,371,017 US residents.
Is Shenique a common name?
We classify Shenique as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 266 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shenique most popular?
The single biggest year for Shenique was 1991, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shenique is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shenique in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 298 people with the name Shenique, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,601 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 Shenique 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 Shenique?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shenique appears almost entirely female. Of the 287 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Shenique?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shenique is Black at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Shenique most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shenique in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (271 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 Shenique in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shenique a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shenique 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 Shenique still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shenique 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 Shenique 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 Shenique?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.