Shontae
Feminine
Shontae is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 842 girls against 10 boys since 1880.
Shontae and its near relatives split a single family in two along a vowel: one group writes the first syllable with an aw, the other with an o, and the record treats them as unrelated names.
How old is the name Shontae?
Shontae first appears in US birth records in 1969 — 56 years ago. The typical Shontae alive today was born around 1985, making them about 40 years old. About 800 people named Shontae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Shontae most popular?
Shontae peaked in 1985, reaching #1997 nationally. See the whole 1985 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Shontae
In most American speech the vowels in caught and cot have merged, which means that aw and o in this position spell exactly the same sound for a majority of speakers — and a parent writing a name by ear can use either with equal accuracy. The record then files the two spellings separately, gives each its own curve, and makes a family that was reasonably common look like two collections of rare names. That merger is one of the largest sound changes in modern English and it is still spreading. Its main visible consequence, for anybody reading a list of names, is that half the built names of the last fifty years come in two spellings that nobody can hear the difference between.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source language. The front is an English spelling of a sound borrowed from an Irish name, and the ending is a device that exists only inside this family of names. Neither carries meaning.
Pronouncing Shontae
shon-TAY
Two syllables with the stress at the back. For most American speakers this is identical to the aw spelling.
Nicknames for Shontae
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
- 1969
- Most girls named
- 198554 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1997reached in 1985
- Change vs 2007
- +40.0%7 in 2012, from 5
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.
Shontaes among us
people named Shontae 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
Shontae 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
- The back stress gives it a strong finish.
- It is read correctly on sight by anyone.
- It shortens to a name that stands alone.
- Shawntae, Shontay and Shauntae are all in the record and hers will be written as one of them.
- The spelling is recorded for a few boys, but nearly every child with it is a girl.
- There is no meaning to pass on.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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Shontae
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Shontaes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Shontae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Shontae in 2025?
- Shontae is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Shontae with classmates?
- Shontae 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 Shontae? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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