boy's name
Shad
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 5,302
Shad is a boy's name with 1 syllable. In 2025 it was given to 9 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 1971, when 406 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 368,460 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1940.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Shad over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 5 |
| 1950s | 21 |
| 1960s | 388 |
| 1970s | 2,582 |
| 1980s | 726 |
| 1990s | 538 |
| 2000s | 338 |
| 2010s | 182 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 51 |
How popular is Shad?
In 2025, Shad was given to 9 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Shad is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Shad
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Shad also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Shad over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Shad
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Shad — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Shad
How popular is the name Shad?
In 2025, Shad was given to 9 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Shad a girl's or a boy's name?
Shad is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Shad?
Shad has 1 syllable.
When was Shad most popular?
Shad peaked in 1971, when 406 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Shad a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Shad currently ranks #3,580 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.