Unisex name · since 1992
Shu
77 babies named Shu in U.S. Social Security records since 1992, with the highest year being 1992. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #19,199 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,610 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 77
- born since 1992
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Shu is the #12610 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 77 recorded since 1992.
Shu has 77 recorded births among boys since 1992, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #12610 as of the latest data, more common than 9% of boys, 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 1992 to 2025.
- #19,199 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,610 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 77 born since 1992
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shu ranks #19,199 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,610 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 77 born since 1992, peaking in the 1990s.
- #19,199 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,610 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 77
- born since 1992
- 1990s
- peak decade
Shu's 77 recorded births place it above 57.75% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Shu compares
77 22nd percentile among 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Shu's all-time total is 79% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shu | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 77 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8 | 34 | 22,252 |
Shu's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Shu's full recorded timeline at 2011, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1996, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1992 peak of 8 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Shu popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1992–2025
- Peak year (1992)
- 8
- Annual births at peak, across 34 years of records
Shu popularity over time - girls
18 total births recorded since 1978 (Shu as girls' name)
Shu by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (24 births, 31% of the file).
1990s was Shu's strongest decade.
24 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Shu births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s
1990s
24 births
- 2000s
2000s
16 births
- 2010s
2010s
17 births
- 2020s
2020s
20 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 24 births (31% of all-time use).
Shu by state
Where Shu concentrates geographically, total births since 1992
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 6 | 7.8% |
6 of 77 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Shu's data
- Shu's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (24 total births) through the 2020s (20) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Shus (6 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 Shu
Nearby Names Like Shu
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shu
Compare Shu side by side: Shu vs Shulem Shu vs Shun Shu vs Shubh
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shu
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shu: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1992)
Similar record span (~33 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, 1992–2025 (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 Shu 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.