Shin
Shin is a name with a single cultural origin: Japanese.
- Japanese
Meaning & Origin of Shin
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Shin is a name with a single cultural origin: Japanese.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Japanese
The Story of Shin
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Shin as a girl name dates back to 1985, when 6 babies received it. 1985 was its biggest year on record, with 6 newborns named Shin — #9,306 in the national rankings. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 50% of all recorded Shins. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1991 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 12 Shins have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Shin first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1978, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1994: 8 births, good for #6,372 nationwide. The 1990s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 38% of all recorded Shins. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2019 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 97 Shins have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Shin
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shin 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 Shin
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In which U.S. states is Shin most popular?
Is Shin a unisex name?
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About the name Shin
Shin is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1978 and has accumulated 97 births in the dataset. Shin's peak popularity came in 1994 when it ranked #6,372. Use the chart and map above to compare Shin's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1994 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.