Shonta
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from an African language.
Name Census estimates that about 1,552 living Americans carry the first name Shonta. It is a predominantly female name (95.6% of registrations). The average person named Shonta today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shonta births was 1977 (127 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shonta. 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
- • Although Shonta is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 74 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 220,847 Americans
Peak year
1977
127 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1982 SSA rank
#5,538
Tracked since 1964
Gender
Gender distribution for Shonta
Shonta leans heavily female at 95.6% of total registrations, but 74 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shonta as a male name
- Ranked #5,538 in 1982
- 7 male births in 1982
- Peak: 1977 (13 births)
Shonta as a female name
- Ranked #13,632 in 2003
- 7 female births in 2003
- Peak: 1977 (114 births)
Popularity
Shonta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shonta from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 748 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
Shonta 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 Shonta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shontas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. Georgia, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Shonta, while Pennsylvania, Maryland, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shonta
The name Shonta is believed to have originated from the African continent, specifically from the Yoruba people of present-day Nigeria. It is thought to be derived from the Yoruba word "shon," meaning "to walk," and "ta," meaning "to achieve or succeed." Together, the name Shonta could be interpreted as "one who achieves through perseverance."
In the late 17th century, during the transatlantic slave trade, many Yoruba people were forcibly brought to the Americas, carrying their cultural traditions and names with them. This likely contributed to the spread of the name Shonta across various regions of the Western Hemisphere.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shonta can be found in a historical document from the 18th century, which mentions a woman named Shonta who was a prominent figure in a small community of former enslaved Africans in the Southern United States.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shonta. One such figure was Shonta Mwamba (1932-2012), a Zambian politician and activist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement in the 1960s.
Another notable Shonta was Shonta Fulcher (1929-2003), an American civil rights activist and community organizer who worked tirelessly to promote equality and social justice in the Southern United States during the mid-20th century.
In the realm of literature, Shonta Williams (1942-2018) was a celebrated author and poet whose works explored themes of identity, culture, and the African diaspora experience.
Shonta Kamara (1955-2021) was a prominent Liberian artist and sculptor whose works were widely exhibited in various galleries and museums across West Africa, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Finally, Shonta Everett (1967-present) is a contemporary American musician and singer-songwriter whose soulful melodies and powerful lyrics have garnered critical acclaim and a dedicated following.
While these are just a few examples, the name Shonta has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and walks of life, each contributing to the rich tapestry of human experience and cultural diversity.
People
Shonta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shonta 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
Shonta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shonta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,552 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shonta 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 220,847 US residents.
Is Shonta a common name?
We classify Shonta as "Rare". It ranks above 92.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,678 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shonta most popular?
The single biggest year for Shonta was 1977, when 127 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shonta is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shonta a female name?
Yes, 95.6% of people registered as Shonta 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.
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.