Shawanda
A feminine name of uncertain origin, likely from the Shawnee language.
Name Census estimates that about 2,630 living Americans carry the first name Shawanda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shawanda today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shawanda births was 1977 (186 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shawanda. 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
2.6K
~ 1 in 130,325 Americans
Peak year
1977
186 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2007 SSA rank
#20,099
Tracked since 1960
Census
Shawanda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,272 people with the first name Shawanda, which placed it at #6,895 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
#6,895
National first-name rank
People counted
2.3K
2,272 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shawanda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shawanda is Black at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and White (1.5%). 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 Shawanda 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 Shawanda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.7% · 2,152
- Two or more races2.3% · 52
- White1.5% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
Popularity
Shawanda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shawanda from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,279 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shawanda 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 Shawanda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shawandas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Shawanda, while Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 114 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shawanda
The name Shawanda has its origins in the Native American languages spoken by various tribes across the eastern United States. It is believed to have derived from the Choctaw word "shawunda," which translates to "south wind" or "southern wind." This suggests that the name was originally given to individuals born during the southern winds or in regions where the southern winds were prevalent.
The earliest recorded use of the name Shawanda can be traced back to the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was commonly used by Native American tribes such as the Choctaw, Creek, and Chickasaw, who inhabited regions across present-day Mississippi, Alabama, and Oklahoma. During this period, the name was primarily given to female children, though it was occasionally used for males as well.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Shawanda was a Choctaw woman who lived in the late 18th century. Historical records indicate that she was a respected member of her tribe and played a significant role in preserving the cultural traditions and stories of her people.
In the 19th century, the name Shawanda gained recognition beyond Native American communities. One notable figure was Shawanda Garner, a Creek woman born in 1822 in present-day Alabama. She was known for her involvement in the Creek Uprising of 1836, where she served as a messenger and translator between the Creek warriors and the United States government forces.
Another individual of historical significance was Shawanda Black Hawk, a Sauk leader born in 1767. She was the daughter of the renowned Chief Black Hawk and played a crucial role in the Black Hawk War of 1832, serving as a diplomat and negotiator between her tribe and the United States government.
In the early 20th century, the name Shawanda gained popularity among non-Native American communities as well. One notable figure was Shawanda Johnson, an African American educator and civil rights activist born in 1905 in Mississippi. She dedicated her life to advocating for equal educational opportunities and was a prominent figure in the fight against racial segregation in the South.
Shawanda Whitecrow, a Navajo artist born in 1949, was also a significant figure in the late 20th century. Her intricate weavings and textile art pieces depicted the rich cultural heritage of the Navajo people and earned her widespread recognition in the art world.
While the name Shawanda has its roots in Native American cultures, it has transcended its origins and gained popularity across various communities, becoming a symbol of strength, resilience, and cultural diversity.
People
Shawanda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shawanda 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
Shawanda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shawanda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,630 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shawanda 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 130,325 US residents.
Is Shawanda a common name?
We classify Shawanda as "Rare". It ranks above 94.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,853 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shawanda most popular?
The single biggest year for Shawanda was 1977, when 186 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shawanda is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shawanda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,272 people with the name Shawanda, or 0.75 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,895 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 Shawanda 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 Shawanda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shawanda appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,260 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 Shawanda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shawanda is Black at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and White (1.5%). 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 Shawanda most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shawanda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (2,152 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 Shawanda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shawanda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shawanda 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 Shawanda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shawanda 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 Shawanda 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 have Shawanda as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Shawanda on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.