Shaketa
A feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 352 living Americans carry the first name Shaketa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shaketa today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaketa births was 1984 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaketa. 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
352
~ 1 in 973,734 Americans
Peak year
1984
31 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1997 SSA rank
#13,420
Tracked since 1972
Census
Shaketa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 271 people with the first name Shaketa, which placed it at #31,559 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
#31,559
National first-name rank
People counted
271
271 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
97.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaketa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaketa is Black at 97.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and White (0.7%). 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 Shaketa 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 Shaketa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.8% · 265
- Two or more races1.1% · 3
- White0.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
Popularity
Shaketa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaketa from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 217 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Shaketa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaketa 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 Shaketa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaketas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. North Carolina, Florida, Georgia recorded the most babies named Shaketa, while Mississippi, Illinois, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaketa
The name Shaketa has its origins in the African continent, specifically in the Swahili language spoken in East Africa. It is believed to have emerged during the 18th or 19th century when the region was heavily influenced by Arab and Islamic culture.
Shaketa is derived from the Arabic name Shakeeta, which means "humble" or "modest." The name likely gained popularity among Swahili-speaking communities due to the cultural exchange and trade relationships with Arab merchants and settlers along the East African coast.
While there are no definitive historical records or ancient texts directly referencing the name Shaketa, its Arabic roots suggest a connection to Islamic traditions and values. The emphasis on humility and modesty aligns with the teachings of the Quran and the principles of the Islamic faith.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shaketa can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable figure was Shaketa Nzambi, a Congolese activist and writer who advocated for women's rights and education in the early 1900s (born in 1887, died in 1958).
Another prominent individual with this name was Shaketa Mbundu, a renowned Tanzanian sculptor and artist who was active in the mid-20th century (born in 1920, died in 2005). Her works celebrated African culture and traditions, and she played a significant role in shaping the country's art scene.
In the realm of literature, Shaketa Mwita was a Kenyan novelist and poet whose works explored themes of identity, culture, and social issues (born in 1935, died in 2018). Her novel "The River Between" gained international recognition and shed light on the complexities of traditional and modern values in East African society.
Shaketa Abiola was a Nigerian activist and human rights advocate who fought for democracy and social justice in her country during the late 20th century (born in 1948, died in 2012). She was a prominent figure in the pro-democracy movement and faced persecution for her efforts to promote political reforms.
Lastly, Shaketa Ntuli was a South African singer and songwriter known for her powerful vocals and contributions to the country's music industry (born in 1960, still living). She has been recognized for her efforts in promoting African musical traditions and advocating for cultural preservation.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Shaketa throughout history, demonstrating its enduring presence and cultural significance across various regions of the African continent.
People
Shaketa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaketa 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
Shaketa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaketa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 352 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaketa 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 973,734 US residents.
Is Shaketa a common name?
We classify Shaketa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81% 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 Shaketa most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaketa was 1984, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaketa is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shaketa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 271 people with the name Shaketa, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,559 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 Shaketa 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 Shaketa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shaketa appears almost entirely female. Of the 272 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Shaketa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shaketa is Black at 97.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and White (0.7%). 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 Shaketa most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shaketa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.8% (265 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 Shaketa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaketa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaketa 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 Shaketa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaketa 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 Shaketa 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 share the name Shaketa?
You can see how many people have the name Shaketa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.