Total births
172
Boys' name · since 1978
Shamal
172 babies named Shamal in U.S. Social Security records since 1978, with the highest year being 1996. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 172
- total births
- 1978–2008
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 52%
- born in that decade
Shamal is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 172 have been recorded since 1978.
Shamal has 172 recorded births among boys since 1978, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, 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 1978 to 2008.
- 172 total births
- 1978–2008 years on record
- 1990s peak decade
- 52% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
172 boys have been named Shamal since 1978, peaking in the 1990s, last recorded in 2008.
- 172
- total births
- 1978–2008
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 52%
- born in that decade
1990s
Peak decade
52% of everyone ever named Shamal was born in this single decade.
1996
Single peak year
13 babies were named Shamal in 1996 - its busiest year on record.
Shamal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shamal splits its recorded history at 1996: 52% of all births land in the more recent half, 48% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1978 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1996 peak of 13 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shamal at a glance
Last recorded 2008Peak year
1996
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1978
Shamal popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1978–2008
- Peak year (1996)
- 13
- Annual births at peak, across 31 years of records
Shamal by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Shamal's strongest decade.
90 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Shamal births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 10
1970s
10 births
- 1980s 17
1980s
17 births
- 1990s
1990s
90 births
- 2000s
2000s
55 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 90 births (52% of all-time use).
Shamal by state
Where Shamal concentrates geographically, total births since 1978
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 5 | 2.9% |
New York share of Shamal's total US births 2.9%
5 of 172 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shamal? ▼
Shamal has been given to 172 babies in the U.S. since 1978, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2008. 13 babies were born in 1996, its single highest year.
When was Shamal most popular? ▼
Shamal was most popular in the 1990s decade with 90 total births. The single peak year was 1996.
Where is Shamal most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Shamal are New York (5 births).
How long has the name Shamal been used? ▼
Records for Shamal go back to 1978, giving 31 years of history through 2008.
What names are similar to Shamal? ▼
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 Shamal's data
- Shamal's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (90 total births) through the 2000s (55) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Shamals (5 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Shamal
Nearby Names Like Shamal
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shamal
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 Shamal side by side: Shamal vs Shawn Shamal vs Shane Shamal vs Shaun
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
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, 1978–2008 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Shamal: Baby Name Since 1978 - 172 Births, Peak 1996." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/shamal. 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 Shamal 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.