ESC 

Name Rank Total 

Searching... 

No names found 

Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah...

1959

First Year

2008

Last Year

1978

Peak Year

#811

Peak Rank

3K

Total Count

47

Years Active

Advertisement 

🌍

## Meaning & Origin of Shanita

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 

Shanita is a name with a single cultural origin: African American.

Origin data from [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/). 

### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

* African American

📖

## The Story of Shanita

Shanita first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1959, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1978: 184 births, good for #811 nationwide. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 47% of all recorded Shanitas. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2008 (10 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 3K Shanitas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

## Popularity Over Time

## Popularity by State

ME

WA

MT

ND

MN

WI

MI

NY

VT

NH

MA

OR

ID

SD

IA

IL

IN

OH

PA

NJ

CT

RI

CA

NV

WY

NE

MO

KY

WV

VA

MD

DE

DC

UT

CO

KS

AR

TN

NC

SC

AK

AZ

NM

OK

LA

MS

AL

GA

HI

TX

FL

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

🎶

## Names that sound like Shanita

Phonetically similar names — useful when Shanita is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [Shania](/shania)
* [Shanta](/shanta)
* [Janita](/janita)
* [Shanty](/shanty)
* [Shanti](/shanti)
* [Shante](/shante)
* [Shanda](/shanda)
* [Shantae](/shantae)
* Shinoda
* [Chantay](/chantay)
* [Shantey](/shantey)
* [Juanita](/juanita)

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. 

❓

## Frequently Asked Questions about Shanita

What does the name Shanita mean?

Shanita is a name with a single cultural origin: African American.

What is the origin of the name Shanita?

Shanita has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: African American.

How popular is Shanita in 2026?

In 2026, Shanita ranks #10,805 among girls' names in the U.S., with 10 babies given the name that year.

When was Shanita most popular?

Shanita reached its peak popularity in 1978, ranking #811 that year with 184 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Shanita most popular?

Shanita has historically been most popular in District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Shanita.

Is Shanita a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Shanita is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Shanita?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Shanita include Latarsha, Katlynn, Alianna. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

## Similar Names

[👧LatarshaPeak #811](/latarsha)[👧KatlynnPeak #811](/katlynn)[👧AliannaPeak #811](/alianna)[👧BamaPeak #812](/bama)[👧BettylouPeak #810](/bettylou)[👧AndiePeak #812](/andie)[👧KasiePeak #810](/kasie)[👧GilliePeak #813](/gillie)

Advertisement 

## About the name Shanita 

Shanita is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1959 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Shanita's peak popularity came in 1978 when it ranked #811\. Use the chart and map above to compare Shanita's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1978 → ](/year/1978)
* [ Names of the 1970s → ](/decade/1970s)
* [ Names starting with "S" → ](/letter/s)
* [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
* Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides. 

Advertisement