# Shaniqua (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/shaniqua/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “novelty”, “god is gracious” |
| Pronunciation | /ʃəˈniːkwə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Chanequa, Chaniqua, Chenequa, Cheniqua, Chinequa, Chiniqua, Shanecqua, Shaneequa, Shaneiqua, Shanekqua, Shanekwa, Shanequa, Sheniqua, Shannequa |
| US babies named this | 5,117 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 5,117 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 121, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Popularized in the 1970s among African Americans, possibly influenced by Swahili shani (“novelty”) or Welsh Siân (Joanna, "God is gracious"); compare other names starting with Shan- like Shanice, Shanika, Shanita.

## What it means

Shaniqua is grouped under grace.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 184 | 1,011 |
| 1996 | 132 | 1,310 |
| 1997 | 105 | 1,548 |
| 1998 | 69 | 2,119 |
| 1999 | 36 | 3,497 |
| 2000 | 26 | 4,635 |
| 2001 | 21 | 5,540 |
| 2002 | 16 | 6,995 |
| 2003 | 19 | 6,263 |
| 2004 | 16 | 7,337 |
| 2005 | 7 | 14,271 |
| 2006 | 10 | 11,289 |
| 2007 | 5 | 20,081 |
| 2008 | 5 | 20,007 |
| 2010 | 8 | 13,281 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 8 | 1,958 |
| 1998 | 8 | 1,979 |
| 1999 | 6 | 2,444 |
| 2000 | 8 | 1,995 |
| 2001 | 9 | 1,870 |
| 2002 | 4 | 3,409 |
| 2003 | 5 | 3,099 |
| 2004 | 11 | 1,836 |
| 2005 | 12 | 1,796 |
| 2006 | 6 | 3,116 |
| 2007 | 13 | 1,854 |
| 2008 | 6 | 3,397 |
| 2009 | 4 | 4,564 |
| 2011 | 3 | 5,785 |
| 2013 | 4 | 4,739 |

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.