Total births
1,020
Unisex name · since 1974
Shamel
1,020 babies named Shamel in U.S. Social Security records since 1974, with the highest year being 1993. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 1,020
- total births
- 1974–2023
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 31%
- born in that decade
1,020 boys have been named Shamel since 1974, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Shamel has 1,020 recorded births among boys since 1974, 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 1974 to 2023.
- 1,020 total births
- 1974–2023 years on record
- 1990s peak decade
- 31% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
1,020 boys have been named Shamel since 1974, peaking in the 1990s, last recorded in 2023.
- 1,020
- total births
- 1974–2023
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 31%
- born in that decade
1990s
Peak decade
31% of everyone ever named Shamel was born in this single decade.
1993
Single peak year
42 babies were named Shamel in 1993 - its busiest year on record.
Shamel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Shamel's full recorded timeline at 1997, 38% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 62% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1974, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1993 peak of 42 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Shamel at a glance
Last recorded 2023Peak year
1993
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1974
Shamel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1974–2023
- Peak year (1993)
- 42
- Annual births at peak, across 50 years of records
Shamel popularity over time - girls
155 total births recorded since 1975 (Shamel as girls' name)
Shamel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Shamel's strongest decade.
317 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Shamel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 89
1970s
89 births
- 1980s
1980s
297 births
- 1990s
1990s
317 births
- 2000s
2000s
197 births
- 2010s 108
2010s
108 births
- 2020s 12
2020s
12 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 317 births (31% of all-time use).
How Shamel 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 Shamel's total volume
Shamel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Shamel by state
Where Shamel concentrates geographically, total births since 1974
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 706 | 69.2% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 6 | 0.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 5 | 0.5% |
New York share of Shamel's total US births 69.2%
Even split
706 of 1,020 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shamel? ▼
Shamel has been given to 1,020 babies in the U.S. since 1974, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2023. 42 babies were born in 1993, its single highest year.
When was Shamel most popular? ▼
Shamel was most popular in the 1990s decade with 317 total births. The single peak year was 1993.
Where is Shamel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Shamel are New York (706 births), North Carolina (6 births), Pennsylvania (5 births).
Is Shamel a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Shamel is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 1,020 births, and as a girl's name it has 155 births.
How long has the name Shamel been used? ▼
Records for Shamel go back to 1974, giving 50 years of history through 2023.
What names are similar to Shamel? ▼
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 Shamel's data
- Shamel's decade-level peak was the 1990s (317 total births); usage has since declined to 12 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Shamels (706 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 Shamel
Nearby Names Like Shamel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shamel
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 Shamel side by side: Shamel vs Shawn Shamel vs Shane Shamel 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, 1974–2023 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Shamel: Baby Name Since 1974 - 1,020 Births, Peak 1993." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/shamel. 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 Shamel 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.