The baby name Shaka is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced SHAH-kah (IPA: /ˈʃɑːkə/).
Shaka is Zulu in Origin.
The baby name Shaka is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced SHAH-kah (IPA: /ˈʃɑːkə/).
Shaka is Zulu in Origin.
Shaka is a South African Zulu given name and sometimes surname, from isiZulu. Its precise meaning is uncertain; Zulu oral tradition links it to ishaka, a stomach parasite invoked in a tale about his mother Nandi’s pregnancy, and later folk glosses interpret the name as “warrior,” “power,” or “chief,” though these are not etymologically secure.
The name became emblematic through Shaka kaSenzangakhona (c.1787–1828), the nation-building Zulu monarch whose military and state reforms reshaped southern Africa and popularized the name worldwide. Orthographic variants include Tshaka (reflecting Nguni spelling conventions) and Chaka, the long-standing English and Sotho/Tswana rendering found in early literature. Today Shaka sees use across southern Africa and in the African diaspora, particularly from the mid-20th-century Pan-African and Black cultural movements, where it signifies strength, leadership, and cultural pride.
| Shaka Zulu Shaka Zulu was a powerful and influential leader of the Zulu Kingdom in the early 19th century. He is most famous for revolutionizing Zulu military tactics and expanding the kingdom's territory. His innovative strategies and leadership transformed the Zulu people into a formidable force in Southern Africa. |
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | 0 | #33 | 1 | 2,537 | |
| EE | 0 | #37 | 1 | 1,051 | |
| BI | Boys | 0 | #44 | 1 | 917 |
| HN | Boys | 0 | #52 | 1 | 749 |
| JM | 0 | #93 | 1 | 3,714 | |
| GE | Boys | 0 | #107 | 4 | 2,055 |
| OM | 0 | #120 | 2 | 6,215 | |
| AZ | Boys | 0 | #131 | 1 | 1,400 |
| BW | Boys | 0 | #133 | 17 | 4,685 |
| IQ | 0 | #133 | 1 | 3,533 | |
| ID | Boys | 0 | #135 | 1 | 4,130 |
| BN | Boys | 0 | #139 | 1 | 6,332 |
| PR | Boys | 0 | #178 | 1 | 2,508 |
| AE | 0 | #186 | 2 | 10,220 | |
| BG | Boys | 0 | #219 | 2 | 3,850 |
| MO | Boys | 0 | #234 | 1 | 5,842 |
| AO | Boys | 0 | #248 | 2 | 5,568 |
| JP | Girls | 0 | #251 | 1 | 6,592 |
| NA | Boys | 0 | #251 | 3 | 6,830 |
| TW | Boys | 0 | #256 | 1 | 7,111 |
| JM | Boys | 0 | #260 | 13 | 6,876 |
| NG | 0 | #269 | 4 | 5,926 | |
| GR | Boys | 0 | #273 | 1 | 6,912 |
| KZ | Boys | 0 | #276 | 14 | 6,578 |
| JM | Girls | 0 | #277 | 2 | 7,507 |
| JP | Boys | 0 | #301 | 3 | 7,909 |
| AL | Boys | 0 | #302 | 2 | 5,122 |
| SA | 0 | #312 | 1 | 10,560 | |
| CN | Boys | 0 | #329 | 3 | 9,639 |
| DK | Boys | 0 | #332 | 1 | 7,401 |
| JO | Girls | 0 | #339 | 1 | 7,570 |
| QA | Girls | 0 | #341 | 3 | 15,378 |
| MY | 0 | #354 | 1 | 12,352 | |
| GH | Boys | 0 | #356 | 6 | 8,138 |
| SD | Girls | 0 | #358 | 1 | 7,678 |
| PL | Girls | 0 | #364 | 1 | 5,096 |
| MU | Boys | 0 | #369 | 1 | 8,477 |
| PT | Boys | 0 | #377 | 5 | 7,951 |
| France | Boys | 2021 | #384 | 4 | 2,865 |
| YE | 0 | #396 | 3 | 8,639 | |
| BD | Girls | 0 | #405 | 2 | 8,413 |
| BO | 0 | #408 | 1 | 6,868 | |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #419 | 6 | 15,987 |
| CL | 0 | #434 | 1 | 6,867 | |
| ZA | 0 | #434 | 14 | 14,421 | |
| MX | 0 | #444 | 2 | 8,339 | |
| SD | Boys | 0 | #459 | 8 | 10,523 |
| PT | Girls | 0 | #471 | 1 | 7,952 |
| AR | Boys | 0 | #483 | 1 | 7,628 |
| GT | Boys | 0 | #494 | 6 | 7,625 |
| PA | Boys | 0 | #504 | 2 | 9,305 |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #505 | 11 | 19,177 |
| CR | Boys | 0 | #509 | 2 | 10,188 |
| CO | 0 | #510 | 1 | 7,768 | |
| IQ | Girls | 0 | #518 | 8 | 11,303 |
| RU | Boys | 0 | #521 | 6 | 12,621 |
| RU | Girls | 0 | #522 | 2 | 11,913 |
| LY | 0 | #552 | 8 | 12,703 | |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #554 | 4 | 12,905 |
| CM | Girls | 0 | #558 | 3 | 11,671 |
| PS | Boys | 0 | #561 | 1 | 10,655 |
| IR | Boys | 0 | #565 | 1 | 10,162 |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #571 | 3 | 11,342 |
| CM | Boys | 0 | #572 | 4 | 12,054 |
| BO | Boys | 0 | #581 | 12 | 9,244 |
| BH | 0 | #584 | 4 | 17,937 | |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #591 | 7 | 20,968 |
| BD | Boys | 0 | #601 | 5 | 10,045 |
| IL | Boys | 0 | #625 | 1 | 10,983 |
| IQ | Boys | 0 | #643 | 25 | 13,071 |
| IN | Girls | 0 | #653 | 2 | 13,121 |
| LB | 0 | #690 | 1 | 13,263 | |
| CL | Boys | 0 | #696 | 5 | 13,390 |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #697 | 11 | 18,093 |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #735 | 5 | 17,960 |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #746 | 24 | 18,755 |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #762 | 25 | 15,093 |
| SY | 0 | #765 | 3 | 11,684 | |
| BR | Boys | 0 | #784 | 2 | 12,213 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #804 | 148 | 16,906 |
| OM | Boys | 0 | #852 | 30 | 17,948 |
| PE | Boys | 0 | #863 | 16 | 14,506 |
| TN | 0 | #863 | 3 | 13,765 | |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #870 | 318 | 25,619 |
| United States | Boys | 2024 | #881 | 12 | 7,044 |
| CO | Boys | 0 | #903 | 18 | 15,656 |
| EG | Boys | 0 | #917 | 9 | 15,035 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #918 | 18 | 25,931 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #924 | 59 | 16,355 |
| NL | Boys | 0 | #941 | 11 | 5,873 |
| IN | Boys | 0 | #982 | 20 | 16,750 |
| EG | Girls | 0 | #1,004 | 6 | 14,742 |
| PE | Girls | 0 | #1,009 | 2 | 14,861 |
| AE | Boys | 0 | #1,047 | 46 | 22,615 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #1,069 | 4 | 24,821 |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,117 | 25 | 25,928 |
| CO | Girls | 0 | #1,150 | 3 | 16,140 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,174 | 9 | 25,439 |
| MA | 0 | #1,193 | 7 | 20,986 | |
| TR | 0 | #1,200 | 12 | 19,440 | |
| DZ | 0 | #1,231 | 4 | 20,130 | |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,264 | 4 | 17,781 |
| IT | Boys | 0 | #1,453 | 19 | 10,046 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,502 | 113 | 28,008 |
Shaka is popular in 69 countries — most recent births per country:
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