Chakira
Meaning of Chakira
Chakira, a feminine Arabic name pronounced sha-KEE-rah (/ʃaˈkiːra/), originates from the Semitic root sh-k-r, connoting “thankful” or “grateful,” and thus embodies a semantic heritage of gratitude. In the United States, its onomastic presence has been modest yet discernible since the late 1970s, with annual Social Security Administration data revealing an oscillation in occurrence—peaking at sixteen newborns in 1992 (rank 849) and settling at nine in 2007 (rank 979)—indicative of selective parental preference rather than widespread adoption. Within Latin cultural spheres, the name arouses an analytic curiosity through its phonetic affinity to the internationally renowned singer Shakira, whose Lebanese lineage and Colombian identity underscore Chakira’s capacity to traverse linguistic and geographic boundaries. Phonologically, Chakira’s soft palatal onset and elongation of the penultimate syllable confer a melodic timbre, reminiscent of a flamenco guitar’s resonant strum, while transliteration dynamics illustrate how orthographic variation shapes onomastic diffusion across diasporic communities.
Pronunciation
Arabic
- Pronunced as sha-KEE-rah (/ʃaˈkiːra/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
