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Home › Baby Names Directory › Shontavia

Shontavia

♀ Girl

Pronounced shahn-TAY-vee-uh /ʃɑnˈteɪ.vi.ə/Medium

Meaning: Shontavia is a late-twentieth-century African American invented name. It pairs the popular Shon-/Sha- opening with the -tavia ending of Octavia (Latin 'eighth'), so its charm is in the rolling sound rather than a single dictionary meaning.Low

In 30 seconds: Shontavia is an invented African American girls' name, a Shon- opening tied to the -tavia of Octavia, used for only a handful of girls a year (said shahn-TAY-vee-uh).
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Origin LowAmerican
MeaningShontavia is a late-twentieth-century African American invented name. It pairs the popular Shon-/Sha- opening with the -tavia ending of Octavia (Latin 'eighth'), so its charm is in the rolling sound rather than a single dictionary meaning.
U.S. rank (2005)#14294 ↗ Rising
2005 U.S. births7 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1991
Total births (all-time)≈ 261

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199419822005

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Shontavia is a coined name that appears in United States records from the early 1980s. It has no inherited etymology; it joins the fashionable Shon-/Sha- prefix to the -tavia of Octavia, a pattern common in African American naming of the era. The appeal is rhythmic, not literal.

It stayed rare throughout, given to only a couple dozen girls a year at its early-1990s peak. A girl named Shontavia then is in her thirties now, from a cohort fond of freshly built, musical names.

Did you know? The -tavia tail Shontavia borrows comes from Octavia, the Latin name meaning 'eighth' - a favorite building block in coined names of the 1980s.
Overall data confidence 30%
References - Shontavia — Coined; Shon- + -tavia (Octavia). Meaning structural, low confidence

Variations

ShantaviaShauntaviaChantavia

Nicknames

ShonTavia

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Shontavia…

Octavia— the source of Shontavia's -tavia ending
Latavia— a close La-/Shon- coinage of the same era
Tanisha— a similar rhythmic African American name
Shaniya— another coined Sha-/Shon- girls' name

Explore names like Shontavia

By thememoderncoinedafrican-american

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Shontavia mean?

It is a modern coinage, a Shon- opening joined to the -tavia of Octavia; it has no single fixed meaning.

How do you pronounce Shontavia?

It's said shahn-TAY-vee-uh /ʃɑnˈteɪ.vi.ə/ - four syllables, stress on the second.

Is Shontavia a boy or girl name?

Shontavia is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Shontavia?

Shontavia is a rare name for girls in the U.S., a modern invented choice.

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