Girl · #13,427 in 2026

Shona

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

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.

Current Rank

#13,427

Peak Rank

#844 (1970)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1943

First Year

2024

Last Year

1970

Peak Year

#844

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Shona

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

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

The Story of Shona

Shona first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1943, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1970, when 160 Shonas were born — ranking #844 that year. As of 2026, Shona ranks #13,427 for baby girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 2K Shonas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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?

How popular is Shona in 2026?

In 2026, Shona ranks #13,427 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Shona most popular?

Shona reached its peak popularity in 1970, ranking #844 that year with 160 babies given the name.

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

Shona has historically been most popular in Mississippi, Kentucky, Oklahoma. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Shona.

Is Shona a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Shona?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Shona include Bryleigh, Tennie, Elvia. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.