UK girl's name
Shoshanna
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "rose" or "lily".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shoshanna is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Shoshanna popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5687, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 3 births.
This profile covers 6 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2016 to 2023. 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 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 6 living people in the UK are called Shoshanna. 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 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shoshanna ranked #5687 for girls in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2016, when 3 girls were registered as Shoshanna.
- • About 6 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shoshanna as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5687
2023
Births in 2023
3
Latest year
Peak year
2016
3 births
Estimated living
6
2026
Meaning
What does Shoshanna mean?
The name Shoshanna is derived from the Hebrew language and has its origins in the ancient Near East. It is a feminine form of the biblical name Susanna, which means "lily" or "rose" in Hebrew. The name is believed to have first appeared in the Old Testament's Book of Daniel, where it refers to a virtuous woman who was falsely accused of adultery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shoshanna can be found in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism. Here, it is mentioned as the name of a woman who lived during the 2nd century CE in the Land of Israel. The name was likely in use among Jewish communities in the region during this time period.
In the Middle Ages, the name Shoshanna was relatively uncommon but can be found in some historical records from Jewish communities in Europe and the Middle East. One notable example is Shoshanna of Würzburg, a 13th-century Jewish mystic and poet from Germany.
During the Renaissance and Early Modern period, the name gained some popularity among Jewish communities in Europe and the Ottoman Empire. A well-known figure from this time was Shoshanna Shochet, a 16th-century Jewish scholar and poet from the Ottoman Empire who wrote extensively in Hebrew and Ladino.
In the 19th century, the name Shoshanna became more widespread among Jews in Eastern Europe, particularly in areas like Poland and Russia. One famous bearer of the name was Shoshanna Persitz, a 19th-century Yiddish writer and activist from Russia who advocated for women's rights and secular education.
Another notable figure was Shoshanna Shoenburg, a 20th-century Israeli artist and sculptor who was born in Poland in 1900 and later immigrated to Mandatory Palestine. Her works often depicted scenes from the Bible and Jewish folklore.
As the name Shoshanna has Hebrew origins, it has remained popular among Jewish communities around the world, particularly in Israel and other parts of the Middle East. However, it has also been adopted by non-Jewish families in various countries, drawn to its unique sound and meaning.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shoshanna over time
The chart below shows babies named Shoshanna registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2016 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shoshanna, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 3 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shoshanna by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shoshanna 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 | #5687 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #5785 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Shoshanna
- 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
Shoshanna: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shoshanna in the UK right now?
In 2023, Shoshanna was ranked #5687 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Shoshanna most popular?
The peak year on record was 2016, with 3 babies registered as Shoshanna in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shoshanna?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "rose" or "lily".
How many people are called Shoshanna in the UK?
A total of 6 babies have been registered as Shoshanna across the 2 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.