Shontell
An English feminine name, perhaps a variation of Chantal.
Name Census estimates that about 609 living Americans carry the first name Shontell. It is a predominantly female name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Shontell today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shontell births was 1977 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shontell. 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
609
~ 1 in 562,815 Americans
Peak year
1977
38 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1976 SSA rank
#5,499
Tracked since 1967
Census
Shontell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 586 people with the first name Shontell, which placed it at #18,401 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
#18,401
National first-name rank
People counted
586
586 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
83.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shontell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shontell is Black at 83.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Shontell 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 Shontell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.3% · 488
- White9.2% · 54
- Two or more races5.1% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Shontell
Out of the 658 babies given the name Shontell since 1880, 99.1% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Shontell as a male name
- Ranked #5,499 in 1976
- 6 male births in 1976
- Peak: 1976 (6 births)
Shontell as a female name
- Ranked #16,560 in 2012
- 6 female births in 2012
- Peak: 1977 (38 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shontell leans strongly female. 553 people counted with this name were female (93.6%), compared with 38 male bearers (6.4%).
Popularity
Shontell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shontell from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 289 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
Shontell 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 Shontell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shontells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shontell
The name Shontell is believed to have originated from the French language, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old French word "shaun," which means "gracious" or "blessed." This name was initially popular in regions of France, particularly in the northern regions, during the 12th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shontell can be found in the ancient manuscripts of the Benedictine monks, where it was used to refer to a young woman who had dedicated her life to serving the church. The name gained popularity among the French nobility and was often bestowed upon daughters born into prestigious families.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shontell. One such individual was Shontell de Valois, a French noblewoman who lived during the 14th century and was renowned for her philanthropic efforts and patronage of the arts. Another prominent figure was Shontell de Montfort, a fierce warrior who fought alongside her husband during the Albigensian Crusade in the early 13th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Shontell appears in various medieval French texts and poems, often associated with virtues such as grace, beauty, and kindness. One notable example is the epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose," where a character named Shontell is portrayed as a symbol of true love and devotion.
During the Renaissance period, the name Shontell gained further recognition, particularly in the works of French playwrights and poets. Shontell de Ronsard, a celebrated poet of the 16th century, was known for her lyrical verses that celebrated the beauty of nature and the complexities of human emotion.
As the name Shontell spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Shontelle, Shontel, and Shontelle. However, the core meaning and essence of the name remained consistent, reflecting the concept of grace and blessedness.
It is worth noting that these five historical figures – Shontell de Valois, Shontell de Montfort, the character from "Le Roman de la Rose," Shontell de Ronsard, and the Benedictine nun – are among the most prominent individuals who carried the name Shontell throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and eras.
People
Shontell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shontell 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
Shontell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shontell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 609 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shontell 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 562,815 US residents.
Is Shontell a common name?
We classify Shontell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 658 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shontell most popular?
The single biggest year for Shontell was 1977, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shontell 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 Shontell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 586 people with the name Shontell, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,401 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 Shontell 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 Shontell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shontell leans strongly female. 553 people counted with this name were female (93.6%), compared with 38 male bearers (6.4%). 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 Shontell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shontell is Black at 83.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Shontell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shontell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (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 Shontell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shontell a female name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Shontell 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 Shontell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shontell 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 Shontell 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 are called Shontell?
Want to know how many people have the name Shontell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.