Declining since 2016, #13,208 for girls today.
Popularity of Shaima since 1991
Babies named Shaima per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 28 |
| 2000s | 95 |
| 2010s | 111 |
| 2020s | 43 |
Meaning & origin
Shaima entered U.S. records in 1991 and climbed to its peak rank of 13,208 in 2016, with a popularity of 1 in 267,878 births in 2025. The name has been in decline since 2016, reflecting a broader trajectory of falling usage for this Arabic-origin name. Shaima's etymology, rooted in the Arabic word for beauty or radiance, ties it to a historical figure: the foster sister of the Prophet Muhammad. Despite its long history in the Middle East and North Africa, Shaima remains relatively rare in the United States, with no top states recorded. It carries cultural resonance for Muslim families and is a distinctive choice that has not entered the broader American naming mainstream.
Shaima originates from the Arabic root ش ي م (sh-y-m), which carries connotations of beauty, grace, and radiance. It is traditionally given to girls in Arabic-speaking countries and appears in Islamic history as the name of the Prophet Muhammad's foster sister. The name has been used across the Middle East and North Africa for centuries.
“Shaima” around the world
Where Shaima lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
15
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Shai, Shaimi, Mimi
Sibling names for Shaima
Names that share Shaima's style, for a brother or sister.
