Shoshannah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "rose" or "lily".
Name Census estimates that about 209 living Americans carry the first name Shoshannah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shoshannah today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shoshannah births was 1980 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shoshannah. 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
209
~ 1 in 1,639,973 Americans
Peak year
1980
14 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2017 SSA rank
#15,656
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Shoshannah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shoshannah from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 82 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
Shoshannah 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 Shoshannah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shoshannahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shoshannah
Shoshannah is a Hebrew name derived from the Hebrew word "shoshanah," meaning "rose" or "lily." The name has its roots in ancient Semitic cultures and languages, where flowers and plants were often used as symbolic representations in names.
The earliest known use of the name Shoshannah can be traced back to the Bible, specifically in the Song of Songs, which is a book of the Hebrew Bible attributed to King Solomon. The name appears as a metaphor for the beloved, comparing her beauty to that of a rose or lily.
In Jewish tradition, the name Shoshannah has been associated with purity, beauty, and spiritual growth. It was often given to girls as a symbol of these qualities and as a way to honor the Biblical reference.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shoshannah was Shoshannah Rabbanit, a renowned Jewish scholar and teacher who lived in the 16th century. She was known for her expertise in Jewish law and her contributions to the education of women in her community.
Another notable figure in history with the name Shoshannah was Shoshannah Persitz, a Jewish activist and writer who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was a prominent figure in the Zionist movement and worked tirelessly to promote the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
In the 20th century, Shoshannah Shababo was a celebrated Israeli singer and actress who gained fame for her performances in both Hebrew and Yiddish productions. She was born in 1915 and passed away in 2005.
Shoshannah Rosen-Sheidley was an American anthropologist and author who specialized in the study of Native American cultures. She was born in 1924 and made significant contributions to the field of anthropology through her extensive research and writings.
Shoshannah Brombacher is a contemporary Israeli artist known for her intricate sculptures and installations. Born in 1963, her work often explores themes of memory, identity, and the human condition.
Throughout history, the name Shoshannah has maintained its connection to its Hebrew roots and has been embraced by Jewish communities around the world as a beautiful and meaningful name for their daughters.
People
Shoshannah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shoshannah 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
Shoshannah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shoshannah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 209 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shoshannah 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 1,639,973 US residents.
Is Shoshannah a common name?
We classify Shoshannah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 223 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shoshannah most popular?
The single biggest year for Shoshannah was 1980, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shoshannah is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shoshannah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shoshannah 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.