Shaniqua
- Gender
- Girl
Shaniqua is a girls' name, meaning “novelty”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Shaniqua mean?
“novelty”
A female given name originating as a coinage, of African-American usage.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Shaniqua a girl's or a boy's name?
Shaniqua is a girls' name.
How popular is Shaniqua in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1996, with 14 girls.
Half of all the girls named Shaniqua in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2007. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Shaniqua in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 4 | #4,953 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 3 | #6,007 |
| 2010 | 1 | #7,520 |
| 2009 | 4 | #4,795 |
| 2008 | 6 | #3,589 |
| 2007 | 13 | #1,964 |
| 2006 | 6 | #3,280 |
| 2005 | 12 | #1,912 |
| 2004 | 11 | #1,949 |
| 2003 | 5 | #3,233 |
| 2002 | 4 | #3,556 |
| 2001 | 9 | #1,974 |
| 2000 | 8 | #2,097 |
| 1999 | 6 | #2,559 |
| 1998 | 8 | #2,110 |
| 1997 | 8 | #2,073 |
| 1996 | 14 | #1,381 |
How popular is Shaniqua in the US?
No girls in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1991, with 861 girls. It first appears in the records in 1971.
Half of all the girls named Shaniqua in the US since 1880 were born between 1989 and 1993, the years shaded on the chart below.
Shaniqua in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 8 | #12,270 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 5 | #17,498 |
| 2007 | 5 | #17,630 |
| 2006 | 10 | #10,606 |
| 2005 | 7 | #13,003 |
| 2004 | 16 | #7,072 |
| 2003 | 19 | #6,050 |
| 2002 | 16 | #6,692 |
| 2001 | 21 | #5,359 |
| 2000 | 26 | #4,522 |
| 1999 | 36 | #3,440 |
| 1998 | 69 | #2,101 |
| 1997 | 105 | #1,528 |
| 1996 | 132 | #1,304 |
| 1995 | 184 | #1,004 |
| 1994 | 259 | #788 |
| 1993 | 433 | #546 |
| 1992 | 604 | #419 |
| 1991 | 861 | #313 |
| 1990 | 842 | #327 |
| 1989 | 186 | #947 |
| 1988 | 141 | #1,103 |
| 1987 | 110 | #1,274 |
| 1986 | 121 | #1,171 |
| 1985 | 131 | #1,103 |
| 1984 | 92 | #1,323 |
| 1983 | 100 | #1,252 |
| 1982 | 82 | #1,461 |
| 1981 | 77 | #1,549 |
| 1980 | 93 | #1,351 |
| 1979 | 69 | #1,623 |
| 1978 | 56 | #1,804 |
| 1977 | 49 | #1,976 |
| 1976 | 48 | #1,883 |
| 1975 | 40 | #2,136 |
| 1974 | 23 | #3,008 |
| 1973 | 13 | #4,361 |
| 1972 | 13 | #4,299 |
| 1971 | 15 | #3,941 |
Names like Shaniqua
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Summer, Safiya, Saba, Safia, Samira, Salma, Sabiha, Alisha, Safa, Faiza, Farah, Samia
Names related to Shaniqua
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Shaniqua: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/shaniqua, updated 20 October 2026.