UK girl's name
Shama
An Arabic feminine name meaning "candle" or "lamp".
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.
Shama is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Shama popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5669, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 10 births.
This profile covers 106 England and Wales registrations across 18 recorded years from 1996 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 108 living people in the UK are called Shama. 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
- • Shama ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales in 2022, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 10 girls were registered as Shama.
- • Shama ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #547 in 1984.
- • About 108 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shama as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5669
2022
Births in 2022
3
Latest year
Peak year
1997
10 births
Estimated living
108
2026
Meaning
What does Shama mean?
The name Shama has its roots in the Sanskrit language, which originated in ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shyama," which means "dark-colored" or "blue-black." The name is believed to have been in use since the Vedic period, which spans from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.
In Hindu mythology, Shama is one of the names of the Hindu goddess Kali, who is often depicted as having a dark complexion. The name is also associated with Lord Krishna, one of the most revered deities in Hinduism, who is sometimes referred to as "Shyamasundara," meaning "the beautiful dark-colored one."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shama can be found in the ancient Hindu text, the Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In this epic, Shama is mentioned as the name of a character who was a skilled archer.
Throughout history, the name Shama has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Shama Shastri (1764-1827), an Indian scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit literature and Vedic philosophy.
Another famous figure with the name Shama was Shama Prasad Mukherjee (1901-1953), an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Minister for Industry and Supply in the Interim Federal Government of India in 1947. He was also the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, a predecessor to the present-day Bharatiya Janata Party.
In the realm of literature, Shama Futehally (1928-2012) was a renowned Indian novelist and short story writer. Her works explored themes of identity, self-discovery, and the challenges faced by women in Indian society.
Shama Bhatt (1506-1600) was a celebrated Sufi poet and mystic from Kashmir. Her devotional poetry, written in the Kashmiri language, continues to be revered and studied by scholars.
Another notable figure with the name Shama was Shama Kaul (1911-2002), an Indian painter and artist who was known for her vibrant depictions of rural life and landscapes. Her works are part of several prestigious collections, including the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shama over time
The chart below shows babies named Shama registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Shama, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2022, compared with 10 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shama by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shama 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 | #5669 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #5387 | 10 | 3 |
| 2000s | #2953 | 61 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2241 | 32 | 4 |
Geography
Where Shama is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Shama. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Shama ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #547 in 1984.
Across the UK
Shama in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#547 in 1984
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Shama
-
Shama Rahman
actor; singer-songwriter; songwriter
British singer and musician
1983-
-
Shama Tatler
politician
candidate in the 2024 United Kingdom general election
Related
Names similar to Shama
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Summer 24,167
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
FAQ
Shama: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shama in the UK right now?
In 2022, Shama was ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Shama most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 10 babies registered as Shama in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shama?
An Arabic feminine name meaning "candle" or "lamp".
How many people are called Shama in the UK?
A total of 106 babies have been registered as Shama across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Shama most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Shama ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #547 in 1984. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.