Boys' name · since 1940

Shad

4,831 babies named Shad in U.S. Social Security records since 1940, with the highest year being 1971. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#1,819 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#8,337 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,831
born since 1940
1970s
peak decade

4,831 babies have been named Shad since 1940, making it today's #8337 boys' name.

Social Security Administration records show Shad recorded 4,831 times among boys since 1940, holding rank #8337 nationally today, ahead of 40% of boys, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1940 to 2025.

  • #1,819 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #8,337 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 4,831 born since 1940
  • 1970s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shad ranks #1,819 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,337 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,831 born since 1940, peaking in the 1970s.

#1,819 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#8,337 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,831
born since 1940
1970s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%40.1%
Shad vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Shad's 4,831 recorded births place it above 96% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

31 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

31 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Shad compares

4,831 Top 13% higher than 87% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Shad's all-time total is 13x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Shad Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 4,831 369 358,536
Peak-year births 406 34 22,252

Shad's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Shad's SSA record in two at 1990 and the more recent half accounts for 23% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 77%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1940, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1971 peak of 406, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Shad popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1940–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1971)
406
Annual births at peak, across 86 years of records
0100200300400500 194019651974198319922001201020192025 9

Shad by decade

1970s is the heaviest window (2,582 births, 53% of the file).

1970s was Shad's strongest decade.

2,582 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 53% of all-time use.

Shad births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1970s at 2,582 births (53% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Shad compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Shad's total volume

Shad vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 1.6%-73, 3.3%-116, 1.8%-111, 2.1%-58, 4.5%-36, 6.8%-43, 8.9%-28, 8.9%-112, 2.1%-36, 7%-107, 4%-41, 7.7%-39, 7.2%-122, 2.4%-45, 5.7%Shad-86, 8.4%Shad
Shad vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Shad by state

Where Shad concentrates geographically, total births since 1940

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Shad
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
405 8.4%
#2 Utah
293 6.1%
#3 Ohio
230 4.8%
#4 Texas
178 3.7%
#5 Washington
135 2.8%
#6 Indiana
118 2.4%
#7 Illinois
109 2.3%
#8 Michigan
101 2.1%
California share of Shad's total US births 8.4%
Even split

405 of 4,831 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 31 reporting states.

Shad appears in 31 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Shad? ▼
Since 1940, Social Security records show 4,831 babies named Shad. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #1,819 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #8,337 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1971, with 406 births.
Where does Shad sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shad ranks #1,819 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,337 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Shad most popular? ▼
Shad was most popular in the 1970s decade with 2,582 total births. The single peak year was 1971.
Where is Shad most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Shad are California (405 births), Utah (293 births), Ohio (230 births).
How long has the name Shad been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Shad since 1940 -- 86 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Shad? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Shawn, Shane, Shaun, Shannon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Shad's data

  • Shad's decade-level peak was the 1970s (2,582 total births); usage has since declined to 51 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Shads (405 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Shad

Nearby Names Like Shad

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shad

Shawn Boy
#682 306,542 births
Shane Boy
#635 192,583 births
Shaun Boy
#1944 70,481 births
Shannon Boy
#2994 52,379 births
Shayne Boy
#3528 10,741 births

Compare Shad side by side: Shad vs Shawn Shad vs Shane Shad vs Shaun

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Shad

Robyn #8336
1,240 births · Peak 1961
Mikell #8338
1,533 births · Peak 2007
Jerel #8335
3,612 births · Peak 1989
Parrish #8339
2,706 births · Peak 1966
Dodge #8334
681 births · Peak 2010
Denys #8340
215 births · Peak 2009
Leeon #8333
133 births · Peak 2012
Brion #8341
2,807 births · Peak 1957

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Shad: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1940–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Shad draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.