Girls' name · since 1959
Shanita
3,450 babies named Shanita in U.S. Social Security records since 1959, with the highest year being 1978. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,291 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 3,450
- born since 1959
- 1980s
- peak decade
Shanita is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 3,450 have been recorded since 1959.
Social Security Administration records show Shanita recorded 3,450 times among girls since 1959, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, 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 1959 to 2008.
- #3,291 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 3,450 born since 1959
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shanita ranks #3,291 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 3,450 born since 1959, peaking in the 1980s.
- #3,291 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 3,450
- born since 1959
- 1980s
- peak decade
Shanita's 3,450 recorded births place it above 95.45% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
23 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
Shanita's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Shanita's SSA record in two at 1985 and the more recent half accounts for 44% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 56%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1965, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1978 peak of 184, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Shanita popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1959–2008
- Peak year (1978)
- 184
- Annual births at peak, across 50 years of records
Shanita by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (1,636 births, 47% of the file).
1980s was Shanita's strongest decade.
1,636 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 47% of all-time use.
Shanita births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
- 1960s 96
1960s
96 births
- 1970s
1970s
996 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,636 births
- 1990s 625
1990s
625 births
- 2000s 91
2000s
91 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 1,636 births (47% of all-time use).
How Shanita compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Shanita's total volume
Shanita by state
Where Shanita concentrates geographically, total births since 1959
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 250 | 7.2% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 228 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 219 | 6.3% |
| #4 | New York | | 185 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 179 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 151 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Florida | | 150 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Maryland | | 117 | 3.4% |
250 of 3,450 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 23 reporting states.
Shanita appears in 23 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shanita? ▼
Where does Shanita sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shanita most popular? ▼
Where is Shanita most popular? ▼
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What to do with Shanita's data
- Shanita's decade-level peak was the 1980s (1,636 total births); usage has since declined to 91 in the 2000s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Shanitas (250 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shanita
Nearby Names Like Shanita
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shanita
Compare Shanita side by side: Shanita vs Sharon Shanita vs Shannon Shanita vs Shawna
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shanita: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1978)
Similar record span (~49 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, 1959–2008 (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 Shanita 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.