Girl · #12,070 in 2026

Shoshone

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

The Shoshone or Shoshoni, also known by the endonym Newe, are an Indigenous people of the United States with four large cultural/linguistic divisions:Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming Northern Shoshone: Southern Idaho Western Shoshone: California, Nevada, and Northern Utah Goshute: western Utah, eastern Nevada

Current Rank

#12,070

Peak Rank

#12,070 (1997)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1990

First Year

1997

Last Year

1997

Peak Year

#12070

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Shoshone

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

The name "Shoshone" comes from Sosoni , a Shoshone word for high-growing grasses. Some neighboring tribes call the Shoshone "Grass House People," based on their traditional homes made from sosoni . Shoshones call themselves Newe , meaning "People". Meriwether Lewis recorded the tribe as the "Sosonees or snake Indians" in 1805.

Origin & history

Rabbit-Tail or Moragootch (information varies). A Shoshone encampment in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, photographed by W. H. Jackson, 1870 Reported picture of Mike Daggett February 26, 1911 Sheriff Charles Ferrel with the surviving members of Mike Daggett's family (Daggett's daughter Heney (Louise, 17), and two of his grandchildren, Cleveland (Mosho, 8), and Hattie (Harriet Mosho, 4)) Daggett grandchild Mary Jo Estep (1909 or 1910 – 1992), age 5 in 1916 The Shoshone are a Native American tribe that originated in the western Great Basin and spread north and east into present-day Idaho and Wy

The Story of Shoshone

Shoshone 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 1997, when 6 Shoshones were born — ranking #12,070 that year. As of 2026, Shoshone ranks #12,070 for baby girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 11 Shoshones 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 Shoshone

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

Sacagawea (1788–1812), Lemhi Shoshone guide of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (1805–1866) son of Sacagawea, explorer, guide, military scout
Cameahwait , chief in the early 19th century
Bear Hunter (d. 1863), war chief
Old Toby
Ned Blackhawk (b. ca. 1970), historian and professor at Yale
Mary Dann and Carrie Dann
Randy'L He-dow Teton

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

Names that sound like Shoshone

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

Shoshoni
Shoshana
Shoshones
Shoshannah
Shawshank
Sharona
Shushan
Shoeshine
Shoney
Chamonix
Shoeshiner
Chahine

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Shoshone

What does the name Shoshone mean?

How popular is Shoshone in 2026?

In 2026, Shoshone ranks #12,070 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Shoshone most popular?

Shoshone reached its peak popularity in 1997, ranking #12,070 that year with 6 babies given the name.

Is Shoshone a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Shoshone?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Shoshone include Triny, Vineeta, Airin. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Shoshone

Shoshone is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1990 and has accumulated 11 births in the dataset. Shoshone's peak popularity came in 1997 when it ranked #12,070. Use the chart and map above to compare Shoshone'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.