Shafonda
A feminine name of unknown origin, potentially derived from Afro-Caribbean roots.
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Shafonda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shafonda today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shafonda births was 1978 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shafonda. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shafonda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1978
8 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1988 SSA rank
#11,493
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Shafonda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shafonda from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 13 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Shafonda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shafonda 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 Shafonda 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 Shafonda
The given name Shafonda is a relatively modern creation, likely originating in the United States during the late 20th century. It does not appear to have direct etymological roots in any specific language or culture. However, some linguists have suggested that it may be a portmanteau or blending of the names Sharon and Rhonda, both of which were popular American names in the mid-to-late 20th century.
While the name Shafonda itself does not seem to have any significant historical references or appearances in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records, it does share some similarities with other names that have been in use for centuries. For example, the name Shafiq, which is derived from Arabic and means "merciful" or "compassionate," has a similar sound and structure to Shafonda.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Shafonda are relatively recent, with the first known instances appearing in birth records and census data from the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As a relatively new name, there are not many notable historical figures who have borne the name Shafonda. However, here are a few individuals who have carried this name:
1. Shafonda Bryant, an American basketball player who played for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs in the early 2000s. She was born in 1978.
2. Shafonda Mickens, an American singer and songwriter who has released several albums and singles in the genre of contemporary R&B music. She was born in 1975.
3. Shafonda Johnson, an American entrepreneur and business executive who co-founded a successful tech startup in the late 2010s. Her birth year is not publicly available.
4. Shafonda Williams, an American author and motivational speaker who has written several self-help books and hosted numerous seminars. She was born in 1972.
5. Shafonda Miller, an American attorney and legal advocate who has worked on several high-profile civil rights cases in the past decade. Her birth year is not publicly known.
While the name Shafonda is a relatively recent addition to the pool of given names, it has gained some popularity and recognition, particularly in the United States. As with many modern names, its origins and etymology may remain somewhat obscure, but it has nonetheless become a part of the diverse tapestry of names used in contemporary society.
People
Shafonda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shafonda 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
Shafonda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shafonda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shafonda 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 19,041,908 US residents.
Is Shafonda a common name?
We classify Shafonda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 38.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shafonda most popular?
The single biggest year for Shafonda was 1978, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shafonda is about 45 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 Shafonda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shafonda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shafonda 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 Shafonda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shafonda 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 Shafonda 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 Shafonda?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.