How popular is the baby name Shenouda in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Shenouda.

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Popularity of the baby name Shenouda


Posts that mention the name Shenouda

Where did the baby name Shenouda come from in 2012?

Coptic pope Shenouda III (1923-2012)
Pope Shenouda III

The interesting name Shenouda began popping up in the U.S. baby name data in 2012:

  • 2014: 9 baby boys named Shenouda
  • 2013: 21 baby boys named Shenouda
  • 2012: 21 baby boys named Shenouda [debut]
  • 2011: unlisted
  • 2010: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Shenouda III — the popular pope of the Coptic (Egyptian Christian) Church who died in March of 2012. His papacy had lasted more than 40 years.

More ebullient than his predecessor, Shenouda inspired the growth of churches outside Egypt — from seven in 1971 to more than 150 three decades later.

Shenouda III was born as Nazir Gayed in Egypt in 1923. When he joined a monastery in 1954, he took the religious name Antonious El-Syriani (Antonios the Syrian). When he was made a bishop in 1962, he assumed the name Shenouda. And when he was selected as the new pope in 1971, he became known as Shenouda III (as there had been two previous Coptic Orthodox popes also called Shenouda).

“Shenouda” is based on the name of the Coptic saint Shenoute (c.347-465). Though the name Shenoute is commonly defined as “son of god,” the etymology isn’t known for certain.

Sources: Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria – Wikipedia, Pope Shenouda III obituary

The top boy-name debuts of 2012

lotus bud

There weren’t many high-hitting boy name debuts on the SSA’s 2012 baby name list:

  1. Naksh, 28 baby boys
  2. Viaan, 23
  3. Shenouda, 21
  4. Tyrann, 15
  5. Dmoni, 14
  6. Ardan, 13
  7. Uwais, 13
  8. Kaydien, 12
  9. Arkan, 11
  10. Brettly, 11
  11. Maejor, 11
  12. Viyan, 11

Debut names from the 10-babies-and-under group include Cesc, Wale, Banx, Finnick, Mayjor, Savage, Logic, Maijor, Pinches, Avrumy, Greatness, Grimm, Hawkeye, Truce, Anchor, Ducati, Great, Hsa, Iggy, Romance, Scholar, Sodbileg and Wulfric.

Where do these names come from?

Here are some possible explanations:

  • Brettly – from reality show “American Restoration” cast member Brettly.
  • Dmoni – variant of Domani, which jumped in usage in 2012. Domani is one of the kids on the reality TV show “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle.”
  • Finnick – from Hunger Games character Finnick Odair.
  • Grimm – from TV drama “Grimm.”
  • Hawkeye – from The Avengers character Hawkeye.
  • Maejor, Maijor, Mayjor – variants of Major, which made big gains last year. Major is one of the kids on the reality TV show “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle.”
  • Naksh – from Indian TV drama “Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai,” in which characters Akshara (played by Hina Khan) and Naitik (played by Karan Mehra) have a baby boy named Naksh in early 2012.
  • Shenouda – from Shenouda III, Pope of the Church of Alexandria, who died in March of 2012.
  • Tyrann – from football player Tyrann Mathieu.
  • Viaan, Viyan – from the son of Indian actress Shilpa Shetty. The baby was born in mid-2012.
  • Wale – from rapper Wale. (His stage name is a short form of his birth name, Olubowale.)

Can you come up with explanations for any of the others?

Here’s last year’s debut list.

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri