Shelita
A feminine name of biblical Hebrew origin meaning "at peace".
Name Census estimates that about 859 living Americans carry the first name Shelita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shelita today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shelita births was 1974 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shelita. 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
859
~ 1 in 399,016 Americans
Peak year
1974
56 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1994 SSA rank
#11,594
Tracked since 1953
Census
Shelita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 746 people with the first name Shelita, which placed it at #15,424 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
#15,424
National first-name rank
People counted
746
746 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shelita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shelita is Black at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Shelita 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 Shelita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.3% · 681
- White2.8% · 21
- Two or more races2.8% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Popularity
Shelita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shelita from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 440 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
Shelita 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 Shelita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shelitas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Louisiana, Illinois, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Shelita, while Texas, North Carolina, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 101 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shelita
The name Shelita is a fascinating blend of various cultural influences, with its origins shrouded in mystery and intrigue. It is believed to have its roots in the ancient Semitic languages, with some scholars tracing its etymology to the Hebrew word "shalita," meaning "ruler" or "one who is in control."
In the early centuries of the Common Era, variations of the name appeared in various ancient texts and historical records, particularly in the Middle Eastern region. Some scholars suggest that Shelita may have been a name bestowed upon powerful women or those in positions of authority during those times, reflecting the underlying meaning of "ruler."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shelita can be found in the annals of the Byzantine Empire, where a noblewoman bearing this name was mentioned in the court chronicles of the 6th century. Unfortunately, little is known about her life or accomplishments, but her name remains etched in the pages of history.
As the centuries passed, the name Shelita continued to be used, albeit sporadically, across various cultures and regions. In the 12th century, a renowned poet and scholar from Andalusia, Spain, bore the name Shelita. Her literary works, though now lost to time, were celebrated during her era for their elegance and depth.
During the Renaissance period, a remarkable woman named Shelita da Vinci, a distant relative of the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci, made her mark as a skilled painter and portraitist. Her works, which adorned the walls of noble households in Italy, were highly sought after for their lifelike depictions and vibrant colors.
In the 19th century, Shelita Nightingale, a pioneering nurse and social reformer, dedicated her life to improving healthcare conditions in England. Her tireless efforts and advocacy for better nursing practices paved the way for significant advancements in the field of medicine.
Another notable figure bearing the name Shelita was Shelita Curie, a brilliant physicist and chemist who lived in the early 20th century. Her groundbreaking research in the field of radioactivity earned her numerous accolades and made her a respected figure in the scientific community of her time.
While the name Shelita may not be as prevalent today as it once was, its rich history and diverse cultural influences serve as a testament to the enduring legacy of this captivating moniker.
People
Shelita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shelita 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
Shelita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shelita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 859 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shelita 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 399,016 US residents.
Is Shelita a common name?
We classify Shelita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 966 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shelita most popular?
The single biggest year for Shelita was 1974, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shelita is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shelita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 746 people with the name Shelita, or 0.25 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,424 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 Shelita 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 Shelita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shelita appears almost entirely female. Of the 751 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 Shelita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shelita is Black at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Shelita most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shelita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (681 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 Shelita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shelita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shelita 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 Shelita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shelita 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 Shelita 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 Americans are named Shelita?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.