Shequita
Feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a blend of fashionable sounds.
Name Census estimates that about 566 living Americans carry the first name Shequita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shequita today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shequita births was 1985 (128 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shequita. 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
566
~ 1 in 605,573 Americans
Peak year
1985
128 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1995 SSA rank
#13,149
Tracked since 1971
Census
Shequita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 512 people with the first name Shequita, which placed it at #20,244 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
#20,244
National first-name rank
People counted
512
512 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shequita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shequita is Black at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.0%). 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 Shequita 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 Shequita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.3% · 488
- Two or more races2.1% · 11
- White1.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Popularity
Shequita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shequita from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 414 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
Shequita 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 Shequita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shequitas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Shequita, while New York, Ohio, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shequita
The name Shequita is a modern African American name that emerged in the United States during the latter half of the 20th century. It has no clear linguistic or cultural origin, but is believed to have been created as a unique and distinct name within the African American community.
While the exact etymology is unknown, some scholars suggest that Shequita may have been influenced by the French name Jacquette, which is a diminutive form of the name Jacques. However, this connection is tenuous, and the name Shequita does not seem to have any direct historical or cultural ties to France or French naming traditions.
There are no recorded instances of the name Shequita appearing in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the 20th century. The earliest documented use of the name appears to be in the latter half of the 1900s, coinciding with the rise of unique and creative naming practices within the African American community.
Notable individuals with the first name Shequita include Shequita Jackson, an American actress known for her roles in television series such as "Girlfriends" and "The Parkers." Shequita Pearl Armstrong is an American activist and author who has written about her experiences growing up in poverty and overcoming adversity.
Another individual named Shequita is Shequita Bonner, an American model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Black USA in 2004. Shequita Pree is an American entrepreneur and motivational speaker who has been recognized for her work in empowering women and promoting financial literacy.
While the name Shequita may not have a rich historical lineage, it has gained popularity and significance within the African American community as a unique and culturally significant name. As with many modern names, its origins and meaning are rooted in personal expression and identity rather than ancient traditions or linguistic roots.
People
Shequita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shequita 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
Shequita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shequita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 566 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shequita 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 605,573 US residents.
Is Shequita a common name?
We classify Shequita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 602 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shequita most popular?
The single biggest year for Shequita was 1985, when 128 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shequita 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 Shequita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 512 people with the name Shequita, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,244 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 Shequita 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 Shequita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shequita appears almost entirely female. Of the 506 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 Shequita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shequita is Black at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.0%). 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 Shequita most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shequita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (488 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 Shequita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shequita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shequita 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 Shequita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shequita 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 Shequita 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 people have the name Shequita?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.