How Many People Are Named Shanga?
An estimated 38 people in the United States have the first name Shanga. It is used for both genders, with 87.8% male. The average bearer is 48 years old, and Shanga peaked in popularity in 1979 with 21 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shanga as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Shanga paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Shanga is exceptionally rare. Fewer than 100 people with this name are estimated to be alive in the U.S. today.
Estimated Living Americans
38
About 1 in 9,019,851 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
87.8% confidence
Average Age
48
years old
Peak Year
1979
21 births
Total Registered
41
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shanga
Shanga is predominantly male (87.8%), though 5 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Shanga as a male name
Ranked #6,100 in 1983
6 male births in 1983
Peak: 1979 (16 births)
Shanga as a female name
Ranked #11,581 in 1979
5 female births in 1979
Peak: 1979 (5 births)
Shanga: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shanga span from the 1970s to the 1980s, covering 2 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 35 babies were registered. Shanga has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Shanga by Decade
How has Shanga tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Shanga + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shanga as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shanga
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shanga: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shanga?
We estimate approximately 38 people named Shanga are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 9,019,851 Americans share this first name.
Is Shanga a common name?
Shanga is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 50.2% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 41 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shanga most popular?
Shanga reached peak popularity in 1979, when 21 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shanga is approximately 48 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Shanga was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
Is Shanga a male name?
Shanga is predominantly male. 87.8% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Shanga have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Shanga peaked in 1979, and the average living bearer is about 48 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Shanga Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shanga Smith, Shanga Johnson, Shanga Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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