Shaka
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Meaning
origin debated (folk etymology ties it to an intestinal beetle); famously borne by Shaka Zulu, the warrior-king who forged the Zulu Empire
How popular is Shaka around the world?
In the United States, 60 babies were named Shaka between 2020 and 2025.
Shaka is on the official records of the United States.
United States
1 in 360,000
In the United States, 60 babies were named Shaka between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Shaka has stayed rare in US records the whole time: no peak decade to name.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
England and Wales
last on record 2023
Shaka is not on the 2025 record for England and Wales, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the South Australia record for 1944 to 2017: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Shaka
Most people given the name Shaka in the United States were born between 1980 and 1999. The Shaka you meet today is most often in his 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Shaka deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Shaka truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Shaka fits with your family’s names and surname.
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