Unisex name · since 1970
Shaka
Shaka has 697 recorded births since 1970 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1987 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #6,465 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,317 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 697
- born since 1970
- 1980s
- peak decade
Shaka currently ranks #12317 among unisex names in America, with 697 babies recorded since 1970.
Social Security Administration records show Shaka recorded 697 times among boys since 1970, holding rank #12317 nationally today, ahead of 12% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1970 to 2025.
- #6,465 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,317 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 697 born since 1970
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shaka ranks #6,465 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,317 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 697 born since 1970, peaking in the 1980s.
- #6,465 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,317 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 697
- born since 1970
- 1980s
- peak decade
Shaka's 697 recorded births place it above 85.78% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by New York.
How Shaka compares
697 Top 38% higher than 62% 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
Shaka's all-time total is 89% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shaka | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 697 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 39 | 34 | 22,252 |
Shaka's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shaka splits its recorded history at 1994: 37% of all births land in the more recent half, 63% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1970 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1987 peak of 39 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shaka popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–2025
- Peak year (1987)
- 39
- Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
Shaka popularity over time - girls
142 total births recorded since 1975 (Shaka as girls' name)
Shaka by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (181 births, 26% of the file).
1980s was Shaka's strongest decade.
181 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Shaka births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
170 births
- 1980s
1980s
181 births
- 1990s
1990s
176 births
- 2000s 39
2000s
39 births
- 2010s 71
2010s
71 births
- 2020s 60
2020s
60 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 181 births (26% of all-time use).
How Shaka 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 Shaka's total volume
Shaka by state
Where Shaka concentrates geographically, total births since 1970
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 95 | 13.6% |
| #2 | California | | 35 | 5.0% |
95 of 697 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Shaka's data
- Shaka's decade-level peak was the 1980s (181 total births); usage has since declined to 60 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Shakas (95 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shaka
Nearby Names Like Shaka
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shaka
Compare Shaka side by side: Shaka vs Shawn Shaka vs Shane Shaka vs Shaun
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shaka
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shaka: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1987)
Similar record span (~55 yrs)
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, 1970–2025 (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 Shaka 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.