UK girl's name
Shanna
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "beautiful" or "God is gracious".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2009. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shanna is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Shanna popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2009 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2759, with 8 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 25 births.
This profile covers 168 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 1996 to 2009. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 32% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 257 living people in the UK are called Shanna. 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 2010 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shanna ranked #2759 for girls in England and Wales in 2009, with 8 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 25 girls were registered as Shanna.
- • Shanna ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #439 in 2008.
- • About 257 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shanna as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2759
2009
Births in 2009
8
Latest year
Peak year
1996
25 births
Estimated living
257
2026
Meaning
What does Shanna mean?
The name Shanna has its origins in the Irish language and culture. It is a variant of the name Siobhan, which is derived from the ancient Irish Gaelic word "siobhán," meaning "God's grace" or "born of life and fire." The name Shanna first emerged in Ireland during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
While the name Shanna does not have any direct references in ancient Irish texts or religious scriptures, its root word "siobhán" can be traced back to early Irish folklore and mythology. The name was likely inspired by the Celtic goddess of fire and fertility, known as Siobhan or Síbhín.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Shanna can be found in Irish historical records and genealogical records dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. However, the name did not gain widespread popularity until much later, particularly in the 20th century.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Shanna was Shanna Caughey, an Irish painter and artist who lived in the late 18th century. Her works are preserved in various galleries and museums in Ireland.
Another famous Shanna was Shanna Kress, a French reality television personality and social media influencer, born in 1986. She gained popularity for her appearances on several French reality shows in the early 2010s.
In the literary world, Shanna Compton is an American poet and author, born in 1970. She is known for her collections of poetry, including "Brink" and "Gamers: Writers' Lives."
Shanna Zolman, born in 1984, is a former American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for teams like the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Indiana Fever.
Lastly, Shanna Jacobson, born in 1975, is a Canadian actress best known for her roles in television shows like "Supernatural" and "Battlestar Galactica."
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shanna over time
The chart below shows babies named Shanna registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2009. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shanna, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 8 births in 2009, compared with 25 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shanna by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shanna 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | #2245 | 94 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1126 | 74 | 4 |
Geography
Where Shanna is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Shanna. 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.
Shanna ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #439 in 2008.
Across the UK
Shanna in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#668 in 2009
17 years of NRS records, 75 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#439 in 2008
5 years of NISRA records, 16 total registered
Related
Names similar to Shanna
- 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
Shanna: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shanna in the UK right now?
In 2009, Shanna was ranked #2759 for girls in England and Wales, with 8 births registered.
When was Shanna most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 25 babies registered as Shanna in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shanna?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "beautiful" or "God is gracious".
How many people are called Shanna in the UK?
A total of 168 babies have been registered as Shanna across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 75 more in Scotland and 16 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Shanna most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Shanna ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #439 in 2008. 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.