Shane West
There are approximately 118 people named Shane West living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 2,904,698 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Shane with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname West. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
118
1 in 2,904,698
Named Shane
186K
Alive today
Named West
217K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 186K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1973
Average age: 38
Top Census group: White (83.3%)
Estimated bearers: 217K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #127
Per 100K: 63.35
Top ancestry: White (72.5%)
First name trend
Shane: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Shane. The peak year was 1973 with 5,932 births. The average person named Shane today is 38 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shane
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Shane, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 83.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Shane described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Shane at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White83.3% · 139,542
- Two or more races4.6% · 7,713
- Black or African American4.6% · 7,689
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 7,347
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 3,239
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 2,004
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the West surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname West, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 72.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname West described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname West at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White72.5% · 137,255
- Black or African American17.8% · 33,776
- Two or more races4.7% · 8,846
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 6,794
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,483
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,206
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Shane has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0542% of the US population, based on 185,751 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Shane right now.
The surname West appears at a rate of 63.35 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0634%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 118 people with the full name Shane West. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Shane
Related
Other people with the surname West
FAQ
Shane West: questions and answers
How many people are named Shane West?
We estimate approximately 118 people in the United States share the full name Shane West. That works out to about 1 in 2,904,698 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0542%) with the surname frequency (63.35 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Shane West?
We classify Shane West as "Very Rare". About 1 in 2,904,698 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Shane a male or female name?
Shane is predominantly male. Out of 195,726 total SSA registrations, 98.2% were male and 1.8% were female. See the full Shane profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people are named Shane West?
Find out how many people are called Shane West on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.