View source for Shaniqua

{{short description|Female given name}}
{{use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox given name
| name          = Shaniqua
| image         =
| image_size    =
| caption       =
| pronunciation = {{IPAc-en|sh|@|'|n|i:|k|w|@}} {{respell|shə|NEE|kwə}}
| gender        = Female
| meaning       = ''None'' (''invented'')
| region        = [[United States]] ([[African-American]] community)
| language      = English
| origin        = 
| alternative spelling = Chanequa, Chineequa,<ref name=a /> Shanequa, Shenequa, Sheniqua
| nickname      =
| variant forms = Chanique, Shanica, Shanique, Shenique, Shinique
| related names = [[African-American names]]
| name day      =
| derived       =
| popularity    =
| footnotes     =
}}
'''Shaniqua''' is a female given name, originating in the [[African-American]] community, gaining popularity beginning in the 1970s and peaking in the early 1990s.<ref name=a /><ref name="b">{{Cite web |title=Shaniqua - Baby Name Meaning, Origin and Popularity |url=https://www.thebump.com/b/shaniqua-baby-name |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=thebump.com |language=en}}</ref> It is often given as the prototypical example of a "[[ghetto names|ghetto name]]", i.e. a name likely to belong to low-income African-Americans,<ref name="c">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=New Doc 'Searching For Shaniqua: What's in a Name?' Will Tackle Impact of Names (Fundraising) - Blavity |url=https://blavity.com/new-doc-searching-for-shaniqua-whats-in-a-name-will-tackle-impact-of-names-fundraising |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=[[Blavity]] News & Entertainment |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Szilagyi |first=Jessica |date=2023-04-25 |title=Picture with Decorated Trash Bin Prompts Apology, Diversity Training in Jenkins County |url=https://www.thegeorgiavirtue.com/local-news-south-georgia/picture-with-decorated-trash-bin-prompts-apology-diversity-training-in-jenkins-county/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=The Georgia Virtue |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-06-28 |title=Blacks given ‘ghetto’ names in SoCal yearbook |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25419359 |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=[[NBC News]] |language=en}}</ref> and has been used in racism-related incidents to [[Angry black woman|stereotype "rude" Black women]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-24 |title=Racist 'Shaniqua' postings show Salinas students stomping on Black doll |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-24/racist-shaniqua-postings-show-students-stomping-black-doll |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-01-25 |title=LI NAACP head chastises Levy for 'Shaniqua' remark |url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/li-naacp-head-chastises-levy-for-shaniqua-remark-v23617 |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=[[Newsday]] |language=en}}</ref>

== People with the name Shaniqua or close variations ==
*[[Chamique Holdsclaw]] (born 1977), American WNBA player
*[[Chanequa Walker-Barnes]], American theologian and psychologist
*[[Chanique Rabe]] (born 1997), Namibian model and fashion designer
*[[Linda Miles]] (born 1978), American professional wrestler who went by the name Shaniqua
*[[Shanica Knowles]] (born 1990), American actress and singer
*[[Shaniqua Okwok]], British actress
*[[Shaniqua Tompkins]], former partner of rapper 50 Cent
*[[Shanique Dessing]] (born 2000), Dutch footballer
*[[Shanique Speight]] (born 1978), American politician
*[[Sheniqua Ferguson]] (born 1989), Bahamian sprinter
*[[Nikki Greene|Sheniqua "Nikki" Greene]] (born 1990), American basketball player
*[[Sheniqua Thomas]] (born 1998), Barbadian netball player
*[[Shenique Fortune]], Antigua and Barbuda politician
*[[Shinique Smith]] (born 1971), American visual artist

== Other uses ==
* [[Little-T and One Track Mike|"Shaniqua" (song)]], a 2001 hip-hop song that achieved minor commercial success.
* The name was the namesake of the 2016 documentary ''Searching for Shaniqua'', directed by an [[Old Dominion University]] English language professor.<ref name="a">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2016-11-18 |title='Your name's Shaniqua?' How a name can affect your life. |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/2016/11/17/your-names-shaniqua-how-a-name-can-affect-your-life/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=[[The Virginian-Pilot]] |language=en-US}}</ref> According to ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]'' magazine journalist Shenequa Golding, the documentary was well-received, exploring the stereotypes surrounding this name often given to Black children and the difficulties faced by those bearing the name. It won the 2016 HBO Best Documentary at [[Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival]].<ref name="d">{{Cite web |last=Golding |first=Shenequa |date=2016-09-17 |title=‘Searching For Shaniqua’ Examines Names And Stereotypes |url=https://www.vibe.com/news/movies-tv/searching-for-shaniqua-documentary-452847/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Chanika (disambiguation)]]
* [[Shanika]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{given name}}

[[Category:Feminine given names]]
[[Category:African-American feminine given names]]
[[Category:Stereotypes of black women]]
[[Category:Stereotypes of African Americans]]