Girl · #11,738 in 2026

Shenai

Name: Popularity of the name Shenai in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Shenai, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Shenoy is a Konkani surname from coastal Karnataka and Goa in India. It is found among Hindus of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community following Smartha Sampradaya of Kavale Matha or Madhva Sampradaya of either Gokarna Matha or Kashi Matha.

Current Rank

#11,738

Peak Rank

#9,336 (1991)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1990

First Year

1992

Last Year

1991

Peak Year

#9336

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Shenai

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

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology

श्रेणीपति > शेणीव्वई > शेणय There are two theories about the origin of Shenoy or Shenvi. The Sanskrit word Shrenipati , meaning the leader of the guild, which got converted as Shennivayi in Apabhraṃśa , and later as Shenai or Shenvi in old Konkani. It is from the Sanskrit word for 96, ṣaṇṇavati (षण्णवति). The significance of the word 96 among Konkanis is that 96 villages formed the core region of Goa. It is said that 96 clans / families of Saraswat Brahmins arrived in Gomantak and settled in one village each. 66 villages were in Sashti region (66 in Sanskrit is ṣaṭ ṣaṣṭi - षट् षष्टि. Sashti be

The Story of Shenai

Shenai first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1990, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 8 Shenais were born — ranking #9,336 that year. As of 2026, Shenai ranks #11,738 for baby girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 19 Shenais have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Notable people named Shenai

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

Arun Shenoy : Indian-Singaporean composer and music producer who has received a Grammy Award nomination
Basti Vaman Shenoy : Konkani activist and founder of World Konkani Centre in Mangalore
Chitra Shenoy : South Indian TV and movie actress
Krishna V. Shenoy : Hong Seh and Vivian W.M. Lim Professor in the School of Engineering, Stanford University
Madhav Manjunath Shanbhag : Indian lawyer and activist on behalf of the Konkani people
Nakul Shenoy : Indian mentalist, mind reader, and psychic entertainer
Prashant Shenoy : Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst , Co-Founder and CTO at UniCourt
Prathima Devi : Kannada actress, wife of D. Shankar Singh , mother of Rajendra Singh Babu

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Where is Shenai most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

India
38%
AE
27%
Saint Lucia
14%
United States
12%
BH
9%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Shenai

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

Shinai
Shanae
Janai
Shinny
Shinney
Chenault
Chinois
Sheni
Shiny
Shauna
Shana
Sheena

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Shenai

What does the name Shenai mean?

How popular is Shenai in 2026?

In 2026, Shenai ranks #11,738 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Shenai most popular?

Shenai reached its peak popularity in 1991, ranking #9,336 that year with 8 babies given the name.

Is Shenai a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Shenai?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Shenai include Anell, Kellieann, Guillermo. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Shenai

Shenai is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1990 and has accumulated 19 births in the dataset. Shenai's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #9,336. Use the chart and map above to compare Shenai's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.