UK boy's name
Shadrach
A male name of Hebrew origin meaning "servant of Aku" (the Babylonian god).
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shadrach is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Shadrach popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4789, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2011, with 10 births.
This profile covers 54 England and Wales registrations across 12 recorded years from 2000 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 30% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 54 living people in the UK are called Shadrach. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2023 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shadrach ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales in 2022, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2011, when 10 boys were registered as Shadrach.
- • About 54 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shadrach as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4789
2022
Births in 2022
3
Latest year
Peak year
2011
10 births
Estimated living
54
2026
Meaning
What does Shadrach mean?
The given name Shadrach has its origins in the ancient Semitic languages of the Middle East. It is a biblical name that first appears in the Book of Daniel from the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. The name is derived from the Akkadian word "Shudur-Aku," which means "command of Aku," with Aku being the name of the Babylonian god of wisdom and light.
In the Book of Daniel, Shadrach is one of the three Hebrew men, along with Meshach and Abednego, who refused to worship the golden idol erected by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. As punishment, they were thrown into a fiery furnace, but they were miraculously saved by divine intervention. This biblical story has made Shadrach a symbolic name representing faith, courage, and deliverance from trials.
The earliest recorded use of the name Shadrach dates back to the 6th century BCE during the Babylonian captivity of the Hebrews. Throughout history, the name has been borne by several notable individuals, including:
1. Shadrach Furlong (1630-1712), an English Quaker preacher and writer from Wiltshire, England. 2. Shadrach Sweeten (1768-1835), an American Revolutionary War soldier and frontiersman from Pennsylvania. 3. Shadrach Bassett (1798-1886), an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut. 4. Shadrach Minkins (c. 1814-1875), an African American fugitive slave whose legal case in 1851 became a significant event in the abolitionist movement in the United States. 5. Shadrach Woods (1923-2008), an American blues singer and guitarist from Mississippi, known for his work with Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters.
Throughout its history, the name Shadrach has been associated with resilience, faith, and overcoming adversity, drawing inspiration from the biblical story of the three men who survived the fiery furnace. It has been used across different cultures and religions, with varying spellings and pronunciations, but its symbolic meaning has remained consistent over time.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shadrach over time
The chart below shows babies named Shadrach registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 to 2022. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shadrach, the clearest high point is 2011. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2022, compared with 10 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shadrach by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shadrach was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4789 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #3214 | 30 | 5 |
| 2000s | #3570 | 21 | 6 |
Related
Names similar to Shadrach
- Samuel 108,505
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Seth 9,841
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
FAQ
Shadrach: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shadrach in the UK right now?
In 2022, Shadrach was ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Shadrach most popular?
The peak year on record was 2011, with 10 babies registered as Shadrach in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shadrach?
A male name of Hebrew origin meaning "servant of Aku" (the Babylonian god).
How many people are called Shadrach in the UK?
A total of 54 babies have been registered as Shadrach across the 12 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.