indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Meaning & History
Meaning and linguistic origin uncertain. An existing theory is that the name is a variant of Ashot and/or Ashotan or otherwise etymologically related to them. Another theory is that the name is derived from the Middle Persian noun šādīh meaning "happiness, joy". Lastly, the person who first created this entry made the claim that the meaning of Shota amounts to "man with no humor" in its source language (which may or may not be Georgian).A famous bearer of this name was the medieval Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli (died after 1220 AD). The name was already in use in his lifetime, but the poet's popularity ensured that the name would remain commonly used in Georgia to this day.