Shayna
Shayna or Shaina is a feminine name of Yiddish origin, meaning "beautiful" or "lovely", and evocative of the Yiddish phrase "אַ שיינע מיידל". Its Hebrew equivalent is Yaffa (יפה) or Yafit (יַפִית); during the years following the Holocaust, the name Shayna was often Hebraicized to Yaffa upon immigrating to Israel or, outside Israel, as a post-Holocaust distancing of diasporic heritage.
- Yiddish
Meaning & Origin of Shayna
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Shayna or Shaina is a feminine name of Yiddish origin, meaning "beautiful" or "lovely", and evocative of the Yiddish phrase "אַ שיינע מיידל". Its Hebrew equivalent is Yaffa (יפה) or Yafit (יַפִית); during the years following the Holocaust, the name Shayna was often Hebraicized to Yaffa upon immigrating to Israel or, outside Israel, as a post-Holocaust distancing of diasporic heritage.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Yiddish
The Story of Shayna
Shayna first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1957, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 677 Shaynas were born — ranking #379 that year. As of 2026, Shayna ranks #2,891 for baby girls with 58 births, falling sharply (-28%). In total, more than 16K Shaynas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Shayna
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Shayna. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Shayna
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shayna is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shayna
What does the name Shayna mean?
What is the origin of the name Shayna?
How popular is Shayna in 2026?
When was Shayna most popular?
In which U.S. states is Shayna most popular?
Is Shayna a unisex name?
What names go well with Shayna?
What are nicknames or variants of Shayna?
About the name Shayna
Shayna is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1957 and has accumulated 16K births in the dataset. Shayna's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #379. Use the chart and map above to compare Shayna's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1991 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.