Shermeka
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a blend of Sherry and Meka.
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the first name Shermeka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shermeka today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shermeka births was 1979 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shermeka. 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
130
~ 1 in 2,636,572 Americans
Peak year
1979
14 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1991 SSA rank
#12,905
Tracked since 1974
Census
Shermeka in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 139 people with the first name Shermeka, which placed it at #47,200 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
#47,200
National first-name rank
People counted
139
139 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
96.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shermeka
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shermeka is Black at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Shermeka 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 Shermeka at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.4% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 4
- Two or more races0.7% · 1
Popularity
Shermeka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shermeka 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 81 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
Shermeka 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 Shermeka 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 Shermeka
The given name Shermeka is believed to have originated from a combination of two distinct linguistic roots – the English word "sherm" and the African word "eka." The word "sherm" is thought to be derived from the Old English term "scirman," which referred to a person who served as a clerk or administrator. On the other hand, "eka" is a Swahili word that means "to increase" or "to multiply."
The blending of these two roots suggests that the name Shermeka may have originated in regions where English and African cultures intermingled, possibly during the colonial era. However, the exact circumstances surrounding the emergence of this name remain unclear, and there is limited historical documentation on its earliest usage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shermeka can be found in the archives of the American South, where it is believed to have been used by African American communities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some scholars speculate that the name may have been adopted as a way to symbolize strength, resilience, and the ability to thrive despite adversity.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the name Shermeka throughout history are:
1. Shermeka Campbell (born 1982), an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Houston Comets and the Detroit Shock.
2. Shermeka Hodge (born 1981), an American professional boxer who competed in the middleweight division and won several regional and national titles.
3. Shermeka Winwright (born 1976), an American gospel singer and songwriter who has released several successful albums and has received numerous awards and nominations.
4. Shermeka Garrett (born 1970), an American author and motivational speaker known for her work empowering women and promoting self-confidence.
5. Shermeka Johnson (birth year unknown), a notable figure in the African American community of Charleston, South Carolina, during the late 19th century, who is recognized for her contributions to education and community outreach.
While the name Shermeka may not have an extensive documented history, its unique blend of linguistic roots and the individuals who have carried it over the years have contributed to its cultural significance and enduring legacy.
People
Shermeka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shermeka 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
Shermeka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shermeka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 130 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shermeka 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 2,636,572 US residents.
Is Shermeka a common name?
We classify Shermeka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 139 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shermeka most popular?
The single biggest year for Shermeka was 1979, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shermeka is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shermeka in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 139 people with the name Shermeka, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,200 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 Shermeka 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 Shermeka?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shermeka appears almost entirely female. Of the 135 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 Shermeka?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shermeka is Black at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Shermeka most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shermeka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (134 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 Shermeka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shermeka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shermeka 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 Shermeka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shermeka 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 Shermeka 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 Shermeka?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.