Shasta

SHAS-tuh

Place-name, Sanskrit

"teacher, guide, ruler"

Shasta Origin and Meaning

The name Shasta is a boy's name meaning "teacher, guide, ruler".

A Californian mountain range, named for the Indigenous American tribe, the Shasta People, Shasta has been predominantly been used for girls in the US. In Sanskrit, however, it is used as both the name of a male deity and a term meaning "teacher, guide, or ruler". C.S Lewis also used it as a masculine name in the 5th book of his Narnia series, The Horse and His Boy.

The name ranked in the US Top 1000 for girls in the 70s and 80s, though it is currently rarely used on any gender. A distinctive choice, then and an alternative perhaps for Sasha, Sean or Asher, but it might be worth considering the cultural and spiritual associations when using it.