Shakina
Feminine
Shakina lands very close to a Hebrew word with a large theological history behind it, and the resemblance is almost certainly an accident: the name's shape matches the American builds of its decade exactly. The Hebrew word is worth knowing anyway.
How old is the name Shakina?
Shakina first appears in US birth records in 1973 — 52 years ago. The typical Shakina alive today was born around 1985, making them about 40 years old. About 700 people named Shakina are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Shakina most popular?
Shakina peaked in 1982, reaching #2115 nationally. See the whole 1982 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Shakina
Shekhinah is a Hebrew noun built on a verb meaning to dwell, and rabbinic writing uses it for God's presence resting in a particular place — the tabernacle, the temple, a gathering of people studying. The word is grammatically feminine, which is an ordinary fact about Hebrew morphology and not in itself a claim about anything. Later Jewish mysticism made a great deal of it: in kabbalistic writing the Shekhinah becomes the tenth and lowest of the divine emanations, described in explicitly feminine terms, exiled with the people and awaiting reunion. The move from a grammatical gender to a theological one took several centuries and was argued about the whole way. It is one of the clearest examples of a language's noun classes doing unintended philosophical work.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name is a prefix on a free base, both in wide use when it appeared. The Hebrew shekhinah, meaning the dwelling presence of God, is a real word with a real history, and there is no evidence connecting it to this name beyond the sound.
Pronouncing Shakina
shuh-KEE-nuh
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. The prefix is light enough to disappear in quick speech, leaving the base alone.
Nicknames for Shakina
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
- 1973
- Most girls named
- 198248 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2115reached in 1982
- Change vs 2006
- 0.0%8 in 2007, from 8
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.
Shakinas among us
people named Shakina 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
Shakina 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
- Middle stress on three syllables is the easiest rhythm English offers.
- Kina detaches cleanly and works as a short form.
- The spelling is phonetic and can be written from hearing.
- Shakena, Shakeena and Shekina are all recorded and will be written for it.
- Readers who know Hebrew will hear a theological term, which may or may not be wanted.
- No meaning can honestly be claimed, since the resemblance is not evidence.
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Shakina
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Shakinas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Shakina are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Shakina in 2025?
- Shakina is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Shakina with classmates?
- Shakina will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More S names
The most-given names starting with S, all years combined.
Susan#1085 · Sarah#90 · Sandra#1207 · Stephanie#557 · Sharon#1250 · Shirley#1581 · Samantha#151 · Sophia#5
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Shakina? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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