Zyshawn
A name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 150 living Americans carry the first name Zyshawn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zyshawn today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zyshawn births was 2008 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zyshawn. 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
150
~ 1 in 2,285,029 Americans
Peak year
2008
14 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,229
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Zyshawn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zyshawn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 87 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zyshawn 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 Zyshawn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zyshawn
The name Zyshawn is a relatively modern invention with roots in African American culture. Its origins can be traced back to the late 20th century in urban areas of the United States.
The name Zyshawn is a combination of two elements: "Zy" and "shawn". The "Zy" part likely derives from a shortening or respelling of common names like Isaiah or Ezekiel. The "shawn" portion is a variation of the name Sean or Shawn, which itself comes from the Irish name Seán, meaning "God is gracious".
There are no known historical references or appearances of the name Zyshawn in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the modern era. Its usage seems to have emerged organically within African American communities as a unique and creative spin on more traditional names.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Zyshawn is Zyshawn Williams, an American professional basketball player born in 1992. Zyshawn Moore, an American football cornerback, was born in 1993 and played for several NFL teams.
Zyshawn Devert, a track and field athlete from the United States, competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Zyshawn Gregory, an American rapper and songwriter, released his debut album "Hood Certified" in 2017.
Zyshawn Burnette is an American football wide receiver who played for the University of Louisville and was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 as an undrafted free agent.
People
Zyshawn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zyshawn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zyshawn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zyshawn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 150 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zyshawn 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 2,285,029 US residents.
Is Zyshawn a common name?
We classify Zyshawn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 152 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zyshawn most popular?
The single biggest year for Zyshawn was 2008, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zyshawn is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Zyshawn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zyshawn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zyshawn in the SSA data are male. 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 Zyshawn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zyshawn 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 Zyshawn 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Zyshawn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.