Shiloh
Meaning
biblical place name, traditionally "tranquil"
The story
Shiloh is a biblical place name. The ancient town in the hill country of Ephraim housed the Israelite sanctuary and the Ark of the Covenant before Jerusalem became the central sacred city. Its etymology is uncertain. A traditional connection with tranquility is possible, while a famous line in Genesis may use Shiloh as a title or reflect a difficult text rather than supplying a simple translation. Modern English use extends the name to more than one sex. The US curve is nearly empty before the late twentieth century, begins to register in the 1970s and 1980s, rises in the 1990s and 2000s, then climbs sharply to its highest point in the 2020s. Public attention around celebrity children made the name familiar in the same era, but the curve alone cannot prove why families chose it. Shiloh is ancient geography with a distinctly modern life as a gentle-sounding personal name.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Shiloh peaked in the 2020s.
When you meet Shiloh
Most people given the name Shiloh in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Shiloh deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Shiloh 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 Shiloh fits with your family’s names and surname.
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