Shona
Shona is a female name of Gaelic and Hebrew origin. also. Coincidentally is the name of an ethnic group in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe. The name Shona also has a meaning “God is gracious” as well as female name for John.
- Scottish
Meaning & Origin of Shona
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Shona is a female name of Gaelic and Hebrew origin. also. Coincidentally is the name of an ethnic group in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe. The name Shona also has a meaning “God is gracious” as well as female name for John.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Scottish
The Story of Shona
The earliest SSA record of Shona as a baby girl name dates back to 1943, when 5 babies received it. 1970 was its biggest year on record, with 160 newborns named Shona — #844 in the national rankings. About 40% of every Shona on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. Shona last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 2K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Shona
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Shona. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Shona
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shona 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 Shona
What does the name Shona mean?
What is the origin of the name Shona?
How popular is Shona in 2026?
When was Shona most popular?
In which U.S. states is Shona most popular?
Is Shona a unisex name?
What names go well with Shona?
What are nicknames or variants of Shona?
About the name Shona
Shona is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1943 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Shona's peak popularity came in 1970 when it ranked #844. Use the chart and map above to compare Shona's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1970 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- 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.