Shewanda
An African-American feminine name, meaning "She wanders" or "She who walks around."
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the first name Shewanda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shewanda today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shewanda births was 1971 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shewanda. 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
108
~ 1 in 3,173,651 Americans
Peak year
1971
14 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1982 SSA rank
#12,021
Tracked since 1962
Census
Shewanda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 116 people with the first name Shewanda, which placed it at #51,012 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
#51,012
National first-name rank
People counted
116
116 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shewanda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shewanda is Black at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Shewanda 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 Shewanda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.1% · 108
- White5.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Popularity
Shewanda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shewanda from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 99 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shewanda 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 Shewanda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shewandas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shewanda
The name Shewanda is a unique and intriguing moniker with roots that can be traced back to the African continent. Its origins lie in the Yoruba language spoken primarily in southwestern Nigeria. The name is believed to be a combination of two Yoruba words: "she," meaning "to rejoice," and "wanda," meaning "to wander" or "to journey."
In its essence, the name Shewanda conveys a sense of jubilation and adventure, encapsulating the joy of embarking on a life's journey. While its exact origin and meaning have been subject to various interpretations, the name carries a rich cultural significance within the Yoruba tradition.
Historical accounts of the name Shewanda are scarce, as it is a relatively modern name that gained popularity in the 20th century. However, its roots in the Yoruba culture can be traced back several centuries, reflecting the vibrant heritage of the Yoruba people.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shewanda can be found in the latter half of the 20th century. One notable figure bearing this name was Shewanda Pugh, an American basketball player who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, representing the United States.
Another individual who carried the name Shewanda with distinction was Shewanda Riley, an American singer and songwriter. Born in 1977, she gained recognition for her contributions to the R&B and soul genres, leaving an indelible mark on the music industry.
In the realm of academia, Shewanda L. Wise, an American educator and author, has made significant contributions. Her works have explored various aspects of education, particularly in the field of early childhood development.
While not a common name globally, Shewanda has also been borne by individuals in other parts of the world. Shewanda Hoskins, a British author and poet, has gained recognition for her thought-provoking literary works that delve into themes of identity and self-discovery.
Lastly, Shewanda Randolph, an American entrepreneur and business leader, has made her mark in the corporate world, serving as a testament to the resilience and determination associated with this captivating name.
These individuals, among others, have carried the name Shewanda with pride, each leaving their unique imprint on various fields and disciplines, while paying homage to the rich cultural heritage from which the name originated.
People
Shewanda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shewanda 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
Shewanda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shewanda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 108 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shewanda 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 3,173,651 US residents.
Is Shewanda a common name?
We classify Shewanda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 121 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shewanda most popular?
The single biggest year for Shewanda was 1971, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shewanda is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shewanda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 116 people with the name Shewanda, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,012 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 Shewanda 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 Shewanda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shewanda appears almost entirely female. Of the 114 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 Shewanda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shewanda is Black at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Shewanda most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shewanda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 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 Shewanda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shewanda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shewanda 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 Shewanda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shewanda 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 Shewanda 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 Shewanda?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Shewanda at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.