Shakima
Feminine
Shakima is an American name of the seventies and eighties, three syllables with a long ee in the middle. It writes that sound with a plain i, the way English does in borrowed words like machine and police.
How old is the name Shakima?
Shakima first appears in US birth records in 1974 — 51 years ago. The typical Shakima alive today was born around 1986, making them about 39 years old. About 600 people named Shakima are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Shakima most popular?
Shakima peaked in 1981, reaching #2563 nationally. See the whole 1981 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Shakima
English has two ways of reading the letter i. In its own old words it is the long i of kite and tiny; in words borrowed from French, Italian and other languages it keeps the continental ee of machine, police, pizza and ski. Shakima uses the second, so it reads as sha-KEE-ma, the same as its twin Shakeema, which arrived in the record at the same moment. Neither came first. It is one bright name with two ways of writing it down.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Shakima appeared in the record at the same time as Shakeema, and neither is documented as the original. No source language is recorded for either.
Pronouncing Shakima
shuh-KEE-muh
Three syllables with the stress on the second.
Nicknames for Shakima
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1974
- Most girls named
- 198638 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2563reached in 1981
- Change vs 2003
- −28.6%5 in 2004, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Shakimas among us
people named Shakima are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Shakima sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Easy to say once heard.
- Rare, so a Shakima is unlikely to share her name.
- Has a strong, clear rhythm.
- Some readers will say sha-KY-ma, with a long i; one correction settles it.
- Shakeema is an equally common spelling, so people will ask which.
- It has no documented meaning of its own.
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Shakima
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Shakimas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Shakima are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Shakima in 2025?
- Shakima is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Shakima with classmates?
- Shakima will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More S names
The most-given names starting with S, all years combined.
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Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Shakima? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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