| Susannah | Shira | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lily | song |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | soo-ZAN-uh | SHEE-rah |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1941 |
| Peak year | 1975 (152) | 2009 (159) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 79 |
| Trend | Vintage | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Susannah | Shira |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 371 | 430 |
| 2010s | 831 | 861 |
| 2000s | 953 | 1,324 |
| 1990s | 1,242 | 988 |
| 1980s | 1,226 | 1,182 |
| 1970s | 1,422 | 650 |
| 1960s | 758 | 224 |
| 1950s | 320 | 131 |
| 1940s | 253 | 25 |
| 1930s | 137 | 0 |
| 1920s | 99 | 0 |
| 1910s | 74 | 0 |
| 1900s | 33 | 0 |
| 1890s | 31 | 0 |
| 1880s | 34 | 0 |
From Hebrew 'shoshannah', from 'shoshan' meaning 'lily' (in modern Hebrew the same word can mean 'rose'). Reaches English via Greek 'Sousanna'. The original biblical sense is 'lily'.
Modern Hebrew shira, 'song, singing, poetry' (root sh-y-r). A popular contemporary given name; a concrete noun with no theophoric element.
Shira is more popular than Susannah today: about 79 US babies were given the name Shira in 2025, compared with 0 named Susannah.
Susannah means Lily (hebrew origin), while Shira means song (hebrew origin).
In US records, Susannah first appears in 0 and Shira in 1941, so Susannah has the longer recorded history.