Fun Facts About the Name Shomari
- More than 1 thousand babies named Shomari: U.S. records list 1,200 babies given the name Shomari from 1880 through 2025. Even 71 girls received the name Shomari - about 1 girl for every 16 boys.
What Does the Name Shomari Mean?
Shomari is a Swahili name, usually given to boys, and it is commonly translated as "powerful" or "strong." Swahili is a Bantu language of the East African coast that serves as a lingua franca in Tanzania, Kenya, and neighboring countries. Many personal names among Swahili speakers are Arabic in origin, borrowed through centuries of trade and Islamic influence along the coast; Shomari is generally treated as a name taken from the Swahili language itself rather than from Arabic.
Sources that gloss the name do not usually point to a specific Swahili verb or noun behind it, so the literal sense of "powerful" stands as a customary translation rather than a documented word-for-word derivation. Similar-looking names should not be confused with it: Shamari, for instance, is a distinct name that is more often explained through a Hebrew root meaning "to guard," and it is not a variant of Shomari.
Shomari Name History & Origins
Shomari belongs to the Swahili-speaking world of the East African coast, where personal names come from two main streams: Arabic names introduced with Islam, and names drawn directly from Swahili vocabulary. Swahili itself grew out of Bantu speech and absorbed a large Arabic vocabulary through trade linking the coast with the Arabian Peninsula, Persia, and India. Shomari is placed in the second stream, an indigenous Swahili name rather than a borrowing, and it is used in Tanzania, Kenya, and other parts of the Swahili-speaking region.
The name also appears in the United States, where a number of Swahili names entered use among African Americans in the second half of the twentieth century, part of a wider interest in East African languages and cultures. Swahili words such as imani (faith) and amani (peace) became familiar in that setting; Shomari is far less common than those, but it is found as a given name in American usage as well.
How Popular is the Name Shomari?
Shomari has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1992. Its best rank was #1,540 in 1977.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | #15,071 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #12,236 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #13,195 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #10,444 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #2,770 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,583 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #10,716 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #9,701 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #10,608 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #11,810 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #8,765 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #9,530 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #7,033 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #11,916 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #7,443 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #9,488 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #10,558 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #7,470 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #7,971 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #8,687 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #10,801 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #8,900 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #6,211 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #7,343 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #4,166 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2004 | #4,970 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #3,103 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2002 | #3,176 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2001 | #3,217 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2000 | #3,516 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1999 | #3,355 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1998 | #2,772 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1997 | #2,496 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1996 | #2,376 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1995 | #2,094 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1994 | #2,008 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 1993 | #1,788 | 48 | 0.0024% |
| 1992 | #1,619 | 55 | 0.0028% |
| 1991 | #2,816 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1990 | #2,425 | 29 | 0.0014% |
| 1989 | #2,459 | 27 | 0.0013% |
| 1988 | #2,846 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1987 | #2,206 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1986 | #3,248 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1985 | #2,586 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1984 | #2,518 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1983 | #2,074 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1982 | #1,809 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1981 | #1,541 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1980 | #1,761 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1979 | #1,935 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1978 | #1,563 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 1977 | #1,540 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 1976 | #1,924 | 26 | 0.0017% |
| 1975 | #1,824 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 1974 | #1,929 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 1973 | #2,996 | 12 | 0.0008% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Shomari Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Shomari's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Shomari's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.