Unisex name · since 1999
Shams
Shams has 342 recorded births since 1999 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #14,841 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,626 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 342
- born since 1999
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Shams is the #3626 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 342 recorded since 1999.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shams has been recorded 342 times among girls since 1999, currently ranked #3626 nationally and more common than 79% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2020s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1999 to 2025.
- #14,841 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,626 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 342 born since 1999
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shams ranks #14,841 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,626 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 342 born since 1999, peaking in the 2020s.
- #14,841 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,626 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 342
- born since 1999
- 2020s
- peak decade
Shams's 342 recorded births place it above 79.47% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Shams compares
342 48th percentile among 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Shams's all-time total is 9% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shams | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 342 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 42 | 21 | 19,840 |
Shams's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shams splits its recorded history at 2016: 75% of all births land in the more recent half, 25% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1999 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 42 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shams popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1999–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 42
- Annual births at peak, across 27 years of records
Shams popularity over time - boys
106 total births recorded since 1993 (Shams as boys' name)
Shams by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (179 births, 52% of the file).
2020s was Shams's strongest decade.
179 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Shams births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s 28
2000s
28 births
- 2010s
2010s
130 births
- 2020s
2020s
179 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 179 births (52% of all-time use).
Shams by state
Where Shams concentrates geographically, total births since 1999
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 18 | 5.3% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 11 | 3.2% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 11 | 3.2% |
| #4 | Texas | | 5 | 1.5% |
18 of 342 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Shams's data
- California records the most Shamss (18 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 Shams
Nearby Names Like Shams
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shams
Compare Shams side by side: Shams vs Sharon Shams vs Shannon Shams vs Shawna
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shams
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shams: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~26 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, 1999–2025 (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 Shams 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.