Shundra
A feminine given name of unknown origin, possibly derived from Sanskrit.
Name Census estimates that about 342 living Americans carry the first name Shundra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shundra today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shundra births was 1979 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shundra. 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
342
~ 1 in 1,002,206 Americans
Peak year
1979
28 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1993 SSA rank
#13,207
Tracked since 1965
Census
Shundra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 332 people with the first name Shundra, which placed it at #27,518 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
#27,518
National first-name rank
People counted
332
332 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
97.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shundra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shundra is Black at 97.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Shundra 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 Shundra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.9% · 325
- White1.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Popularity
Shundra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shundra from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 179 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
Shundra 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 Shundra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shundras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Georgia, Texas, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Shundra, while Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shundra
The name Shundra has its origins in the Sanskrit language, derived from the word "shundara" which means "beautiful" or "handsome." This ancient Indic language has influenced many cultures and civilizations throughout history, and its influence can be seen in the naming traditions of various regions.
In Hindu mythology, Shundara is also the name of a minor deity associated with beauty and aesthetics. This connection adds a layer of spirituality and reverence to the name, making it a popular choice for families seeking a name with deep cultural significance.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shundra can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, where it was used to describe individuals of exceptional physical beauty or inner radiance. However, it was not until the medieval period that the name gained widespread popularity among certain communities in the Indian subcontinent.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name Shundra was a 12th-century Hindu philosopher and scholar from the Vijayanagara Empire in present-day Karnataka, India. His writings on metaphysics and epistemology were highly influential in his time and continue to be studied by academics today.
In the 16th century, Shundra was the name of a prominent court dancer and entertainer in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Her exceptional skills and grace made her a celebrated figure in the royal court, and her name became synonymous with artistic excellence.
During the 19th century, Shundra was the name of a renowned Indian freedom fighter and social reformer from Bengal. She dedicated her life to the cause of women's education and fought against the oppressive practices of the time, earning her a place in the annals of Indian history.
In the realm of literature, Shundra was the name of a celebrated Bengali poet and writer who lived during the early 20th century. Her poetic works, which often explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality, were widely acclaimed and continue to be studied in academic circles.
Another notable figure with the name Shundra was a influential Indian classical dancer and choreographer from the mid-20th century. Her unique style and innovative choreography helped to popularize and preserve traditional Indian dance forms, earning her numerous accolades and honors during her lifetime.
While the name Shundra has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu culture, it has transcended these boundaries and has been embraced by various communities across the globe, each adding their own unique cultural interpretations and associations to the name.
People
Shundra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shundra 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
Shundra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shundra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 342 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shundra 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 1,002,206 US residents.
Is Shundra a common name?
We classify Shundra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 375 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shundra most popular?
The single biggest year for Shundra was 1979, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shundra is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shundra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 332 people with the name Shundra, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,518 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 Shundra 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 Shundra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shundra appears almost entirely female. Of the 335 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Shundra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shundra is Black at 97.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Shundra most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shundra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (325 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 Shundra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shundra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shundra 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 Shundra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shundra 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 Shundra 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 Shundra?
Want to know how many people have the name Shundra? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.