Shavella
Feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially a blend of feminine names.
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Shavella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shavella today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shavella births was 1972 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shavella. 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 Shavella. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1972
5 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1982 SSA rank
#11,986
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Shavella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shavella 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 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Shavella remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shavella 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 Shavella 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 Shavella
The name Shavella has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, which flourished in the Indian subcontinent during the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shavala," which means "millet" or "a type of grass." This name was likely given to children born during the harvest season or in families involved in agriculture.
In the ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Vedas and Upanishads, there are references to the name Shavella being used for minor deities or spirits associated with nature and fertility. However, these mentions are scarce and mostly found in obscure texts.
The earliest recorded use of the name Shavella dates back to the 6th century CE, where it appears in a few historical records from the Gupta Empire in northern India. One notable person with this name was Shavella Devi, a renowned scholar and poetess who lived during the reign of King Harsha in the 7th century CE.
Moving to the medieval period, there is a record of a Shavella, who was a skilled artisan and sculptor in the court of the Chola Dynasty in southern India during the 11th century CE. Her intricate stone carvings adorned several temples in the region.
In the 14th century, a Sufi mystic and poet named Shavella Qadiri gained fame in the Delhi Sultanate for her spiritual compositions and teachings. Her collection of poems, "The Garden of Wisdom," is still studied by scholars of Sufism.
During the 16th century, there was a Shavella Bai, a respected courtesan and dancer in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. She was known for her skill in the classical Indian dance form of Kathak.
Another notable figure with the name Shavella was a warrior and military commander who served under the Maratha ruler Shivaji in the 17th century. She was known for her bravery and leadership in several battles against the Mughal forces.
While the name Shavella has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu traditions, it has been used across various cultures and religions in the Indian subcontinent over the centuries, reflecting the rich diversity and cultural amalgamation of the region.
People
Shavella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shavella 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
Shavella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shavella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shavella 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 Shavella a common name?
We classify Shavella 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, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shavella most popular?
The single biggest year for Shavella was 1972, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shavella is about 50 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 Shavella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shavella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shavella 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 Shavella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shavella 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 Shavella 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 have the name Shavella?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.