Girls' name · since 1945
Shannah
Since 1945, U.S. Social Security records show 1,378 babies named Shannah, peaking in 1978. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #6,028 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 1,378
- born since 1945
- 1980s
- peak decade
Shannah sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 1,378 recorded since 1945.
Shannah has 1,378 recorded births among girls since 1945, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1945 to 2014.
- #6,028 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 1,378 born since 1945
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shannah ranks #6,028 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 1,378 born since 1945, peaking in the 1980s.
- #6,028 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 1,378
- born since 1945
- 1980s
- peak decade
Shannah's 1,378 recorded births place it above 91.66% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
6 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
Shannah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shannah splits its recorded history at 1986: 48% of all births land in the more recent half, 52% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1957 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1978 peak of 51 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shannah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1945–2014
- Peak year (1978)
- 51
- Annual births at peak, across 70 years of records
Shannah by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (382 births, 28% of the file).
1980s was Shannah's strongest decade.
382 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Shannah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 6
1940s
6 births
- 1950s 10
1950s
10 births
- 1960s 106
1960s
106 births
- 1970s
1970s
346 births
- 1980s
1980s
382 births
- 1990s
1990s
341 births
- 2000s
2000s
162 births
- 2010s 25
2010s
25 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 382 births (28% of all-time use).
How Shannah 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 Shannah's total volume
Shannah by state
Where Shannah concentrates geographically, total births since 1945
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 36 | 2.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 35 | 2.5% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 10 | 0.7% |
| #4 | New York | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #5 | Florida | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 5 | 0.4% |
36 of 1,378 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 6 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Shannah's data
- Shannah's decade-level peak was the 1980s (382 total births); usage has since declined to 25 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Shannahs (36 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 Shannah
Nearby Names Like Shannah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shannah
Compare Shannah side by side: Shannah vs Sharon Shannah vs Shannon Shannah 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 Shannah: 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 (~69 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, 1945–2014 (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 Shannah 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.