UK girl's name
Shamsa
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "sun".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shamsa is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Shamsa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 14 births.
This profile covers 110 England and Wales registrations across 18 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. 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 21% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 109 living people in the UK are called Shamsa. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shamsa ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1998, when 14 girls were registered as Shamsa.
- • About 109 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shamsa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5891
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
1998
14 births
Estimated living
109
2026
Meaning
What does Shamsa mean?
The name Shamsa is of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "shams," which means "sun" in Arabic. It is a feminine name that has been in use for centuries in the Middle East and North Africa.
The earliest known reference to the name Shamsa comes from ancient Arabic poetry and literature, where it was often used as a metaphor for beauty, warmth, and radiance. In Islamic culture, the name is also associated with the concept of divine light and enlightenment.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Shamsa was a 9th-century Arab poetess and scholar known as Shamsa al-Ghaziya. She was renowned for her literary works and her expertise in various fields, including poetry, grammar, and jurisprudence.
In the 11th century, the name Shamsa gained further prominence with the birth of Shamsa Bint Al-Mulk, a powerful and influential woman who served as the regent of the Seljuk Empire during the reign of her son, Sultan Malik Shah I. She is credited with playing a significant role in the administration and governance of the empire.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Shamsa was Shamsa al-Riyahi, a 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet from present-day Iran. Her spiritual writings and poems have been widely celebrated and studied by scholars of Sufism and Persian literature.
In the 14th century, Shamsa Begum was a influential princess and patron of the arts during the reign of the Delhi Sultanate in India. She commissioned several architectural marvels, including the Shamsi Idgah mosque in Delhi, which is named after her.
During the 16th century, Shamsa Banu Begum was a prominent figure in the Mughal Empire of India. She was the daughter of Emperor Akbar and played a significant role in the cultural and intellectual life of the Mughal court.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Shamsa, a name that has been associated with beauty, strength, and enlightenment across various cultures and time periods.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shamsa over time
The chart below shows babies named Shamsa registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shamsa, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 14 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shamsa by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shamsa 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 | #5213 | 7 | 2 |
| 2010s | #4585 | 17 | 4 |
| 2000s | #2917 | 51 | 8 |
| 1990s | #1957 | 35 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Shamsa
- 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
Shamsa: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shamsa in the UK right now?
In 2024, Shamsa was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Shamsa most popular?
The peak year on record was 1998, with 14 babies registered as Shamsa in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shamsa?
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "sun".
How many people are called Shamsa in the UK?
A total of 110 babies have been registered as Shamsa across the 18 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.