These days, when you say the name Shakira, most people think of the Colombian singer (“Hips Don’t Lie”) who became famous in the U.S. in the early 2000s. In fact, the name saw peak usage in 2002 thanks to her.
But the name Shakira first caught the attention of America’s expectant parents decades earlier:
- 1973: 74 baby girls named Shakira
- 1972: 20 baby girls named Shakira
- 1971: 7 baby girls named Shakira
- 1970: 12 baby girls named Shakira [debut]
- 1969: unlisted
- 1968: unlisted
Why?
Because of Shakira Baksh (later known as Shakira Caine).
She was born and raised in British Guiana to Muslim Indian parents who had relocated from the Kashmir region of British India.
In 1967, she won the Miss Guyana contest and placed third in the Miss World contest in London. Following that, she became a London-based model and actress.
In early 1970, she was mentioned (and pictured) in a short article in the “Youth Notes” section of Parade magazine (the Sunday newspaper magazine distributed in U.S. papers nationwide). Here’s the piece in full:
Ever since Diahann Carroll hit it big in the “Julia” TV series, television producers the world ever have been scouting for other talented black beauties to star in a weekly program.
In England, Shakira Baksh, 22, who came to London from Guyana in 1967 as contender in the Miss World beauty contest, has just been signed in a new and as yet unfilled weekly series.
The objective in starring Shakira is to attract a large share of the non-white TV audience.
And, right on cue, we see her name debut in the data.
Shakira Baksh married Michael Caine, star of Alfie, in early 1973. (He first spotted her in a Maxwell House commercial, believe it or not. Here’s the story of how they met [vid].) They appeared together in the 1975 movie The Man Who Would Be King together (along with Sean Connery, whose eyebrow is in the photo above) and on the cover of People together in 1976.
The name Shakira is Arabic and means “thankful” or “grateful.”
Sources:
- Shakira Caine – Wikipedia
- Swift, Pamela. “Black Beauty.” Parade 15 Feb. 1970.
- What’s It All About, Alfie?