Total births
1,156
Unisex name · since 1880
Shade
1,156 babies named Shade in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1997. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5450
- among boys today
- 1,156
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 62%
- more common than other boys
Shade currently ranks #5450 among unisex names in America, with 1,156 babies recorded since 1880.
Shade has 1,156 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5450 as of the latest data, more common than 62% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #5450 among boys today
- 1,156 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 62% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Shade is currently the #5450 unisex name in America, more common than 62% of boys - 1,156 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #5450
- among boys today
- 1,156
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 62%
- more common than other boys
Shade vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#5450
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 62% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Shade was born in this single decade.
1997
Single peak year
33 babies were named Shade in 1997 - its busiest year on record.
How Shade compares
1,156 Top 29% higher than 71% of 14,294 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
Shade's all-time total is 3x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shade | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,156 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 33 | 23 | 22,252 |
Shade's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Shade's full recorded timeline at 1979, 70% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 30% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1890, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1997 peak of 33 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Shade at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1997
Current rank
#5,450
Active since
1880
Shade popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1997)
- 33
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Shade popularity over time - girls
869 total births recorded since 1976 (Shade as girls' name)
Shade by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Shade's strongest decade.
224 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Shade births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 28
1880s
28 births
- 1890s 18
1890s
18 births
- 1900s 6
1900s
6 births
- 1910s 72
1910s
72 births
- 1920s 66
1920s
66 births
- 1930s 48
1930s
48 births
- 1940s 28
1940s
28 births
- 1950s 13
1950s
13 births
- 1960s 31
1960s
31 births
- 1970s 45
1970s
45 births
- 1980s 84
1980s
84 births
- 1990s
1990s
224 births
- 2000s
2000s
208 births
- 2010s
2010s
191 births
- 2020s
2020s
94 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 224 births (19% of all-time use).
How Shade 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 Shade's total volume
Shade vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Shade by state
Where Shade concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Kentucky | | 11 | 1.0% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 10 | 0.9% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 7 | 0.6% |
| #4 | California | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #5 | Florida | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #7 | Texas | | 5 | 0.4% |
Kentucky share of Shade's total US births 1.0%
Even split
11 of 1,156 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 7 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shade? ▼
1,156 babies have been named Shade since 1880. It currently ranks #5450 among boys. The peak year was 1997 with 33 births.
When was Shade most popular? ▼
Shade was most popular in the 1990s decade with 224 total births. The single peak year was 1997.
Where is Shade most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Shade are Kentucky (11 births), North Carolina (10 births), Ohio (7 births).
Is Shade a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Shade is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 1,156 births, and as a girl's name it has 869 births.
How long has the name Shade been used? ▼
Shade has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Shade? ▼
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 Shade's data
- Shade's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (224 total births) through the 2020s (94) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Kentucky records the most Shades (11 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Kentucky names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shade
Nearby Names Like Shade
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shade
Shawn Boy
#637 306,542 births
Shane Boy
#601 192,583 births
Shaun Boy
#1567 70,481 births
Shannon Boy
#2597 52,379 births
Shayne Boy
#4006 10,741 births
Compare Shade side by side: Shade vs Shawn Shade vs Shane Shade vs Shaun
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shade
Newt #5449
852 births · Peak 1914
Wilton #5451
8,653 births · Peak 1924
Emma #5448
1,733 births · Peak 2004
Elihu #5452
1,236 births · Peak 1928
Webb #5447
1,658 births · Peak 1927
Alphonso #5453
15,187 births · Peak 1962
Randolph #5446
49,424 births · Peak 1952
Bernie #5454
9,225 births · Peak 1960
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Shade: #5450 Unisex Name - 1,156 Births, Peak 1997." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/shade. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Shade 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 June 2026.