Shani
Girl name · African · Egyptian · Hebrew · Swahili
- US rank
- #11,932
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #664 in 1969
7 babies were named Shani in the US in 2025. It has dropped 5,303 places in five years.
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1962–2025
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Shani you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Shani
Shani Tarashaj
Swiss association football player
Choose Shani and your child shares a first name with Shani Tarashaj, a Swiss association football player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Shani, like who?” Shani Tarashaj's Wikipedia article is available in 25 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Shani Tarashaj on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)- How commonAbout 1 in every 227,273 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Shani, 7 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Shani would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryShani first shows up in US birth records in 1962, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 63 years since.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 1969, when it ranked #664. Today it's #11,932, so it could be due a comeback.
- Then vs nowShani was 7.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 30,769 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 227,273.
- TrendShani has slipped 5,303 places over the last five years and now sits at #11,932. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- OriginShani is the #8 most popular Egyptian girl name in the US. That's out of 14 Egyptian girl and unisex names in our list.
About the name Shani
Shani is a girl name of African, Egyptian and Hebrew origin. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with S and ending in “-ani”. US birth records list Shani for girls from 1962 to 2025, in 64 of those 64 years. Its best year was 1969, when it ranked #664 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #11,932, with 7 babies.
Origin:African namesEgyptian namesHebrew namesSwahili names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30 | 33,099 girls |
| 1970s | 92 | 10,834 girls |
| 1980s | 54 | 18,636 girls |
| 1990s | 48 | 20,934 girls |
| 2000s | 32 | 31,133 girls |
| 2010s | 12 | 81,367 girls |
| 2020s | 9.2 | 109,091 girls |
Other spellings of Shani
More African girl names
- Girl name: Layla · night
- Girl name: Aisha · alive
- Girl name: Amber · amber resin
- Girl name: Zahra · radiant, bright
- Unisex name: Amani · peace
- Girl name: Salma · safe, peaceful
- Girl name: Khadija · premature child
- Girl name: Xolani · peace
Questions about the name Shani
What is the origin of the name Shani?
Shani has African, Egyptian, Hebrew, Swahili roots in our records. Other African names include Layla, Aisha, Amber.
Is Shani a boy or girl name?
Shani is a girl name.
How popular is the name Shani?
Shani ranked #11,932 for US girls in 2025, given to 7 babies. Its best year was 1969 (#664).