Shantae
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the French chantée meaning "sung".
Name Census estimates that about 1,503 living Americans carry the first name Shantae. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shantae today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shantae births was 1986 (87 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shantae. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Shantae with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 228,047 Americans
Peak year
1986
87 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
1978 SSA rank
#5,660
Tracked since 1969
Census
Shantae in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,468 people with the first name Shantae, which placed it at #9,455 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
#9,455
National first-name rank
People counted
1.5K
1,468 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
76.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shantae
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shantae is Black at 76.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.2%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Shantae 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 Shantae at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American76.1% · 1,117
- White11.2% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 100
- Two or more races3.9% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 10
Gender
Gender distribution for Shantae
Out of the 1,589 babies given the name Shantae since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Shantae as a male name
- Ranked #5,660 in 1978
- 6 male births in 1978
- Peak: 1978 (6 births)
Shantae as a female name
- Ranked #17,603 in 2019
- 5 female births in 2019
- Peak: 1986 (87 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shantae leans strongly female. 1,438 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 27 male bearers (1.8%).
Popularity
Shantae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shantae 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 648 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
Shantae 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 Shantae during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shantaes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. New York, Florida, Illinois recorded the most babies named Shantae, while Texas, South Carolina, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 30 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shantae
The name Shantae is of Sanskrit origin and is derived from the word "shanti," meaning "peace" or "tranquility." This name has its roots in the ancient Indian culture and can be traced back to the Vedic period, which dates back to around 1500-500 BCE.
The name Shantae is closely associated with Hindu mythology and philosophy, where the concept of inner peace and tranquility is highly revered. It is believed that the name was first used to refer to the divine feminine energy that embodies serenity and harmony.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shantae can be found in the Upanishads, a collection of philosophical texts that are considered to be among the most important scriptures in Hinduism. In the Upanishads, the term "shanti" is used to describe the state of inner peace and liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shantae. One of the earliest recorded was Shantae Devi, a renowned Indian mystic and spiritual teacher who lived in the 16th century. She was known for her teachings on the path to self-realization and inner peace.
Another notable figure was Shantae Chaudhari, an Indian freedom fighter and social activist who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century. She was a strong advocate for women's rights and worked tirelessly to empower the underprivileged sections of society.
In the realm of literature, Shantae Agarwal was a celebrated Indian novelist and poet who wrote extensively on themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition. Her works, published in the late 20th century, gained widespread acclaim and were translated into several languages.
Shantae Nagar, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, was another prominent figure who graced the stage in the late 20th century. She was widely recognized for her mastery of the Bharatanatyam dance form and her contributions to preserving and promoting Indian cultural heritage.
More recently, Shantae Chandra was an Indian environmentalist and activist who dedicated her life to protecting the natural resources and promoting sustainable living. She founded several organizations and campaigns aimed at raising awareness about environmental issues and advocating for policy changes.
The name Shantae has transcended its cultural boundaries and has gained popularity worldwide, with individuals from various backgrounds embracing its meaning and essence. Its association with peace, tranquility, and harmony continues to resonate with people seeking inner calm and balance in their lives.
People
Shantae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shantae 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
Shantae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shantae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,503 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shantae 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 228,047 US residents.
Is Shantae a common name?
We classify Shantae as "Rare". It ranks above 92.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,589 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shantae most popular?
The single biggest year for Shantae was 1986, when 87 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shantae is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shantae in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,468 people with the name Shantae, or 0.49 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,455 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 Shantae 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 Shantae?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shantae leans strongly female. 1,438 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 27 male bearers (1.8%). 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 Shantae?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shantae is Black at 76.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.2%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Shantae most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shantae in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (1,117 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 Shantae in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shantae a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Shantae 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 Shantae still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shantae 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 Shantae 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 common is the name Shantae?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.