Shakira's Real Name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll

Quick answer: Shakira's full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll. She was born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, and performs under the mononym Shakira (Britannica Kids; LOC).

Real name and early life

Britannica identifies Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll—Shakira and Isabel as given names, with Mebarak (paternal, Lebanese heritage) and Ripoll (maternal, Colombian) as surnames. She began belly dancing young, wrote songs by age 10, and signed a record deal in 1990. Early albums Magia and Peligro had limited impact; after a soap-opera break she broke through with Pies descalzos (1995) and ¿Dónde están los ladrones? (1998), establishing her as a major Latin pop songwriter who writes her own lyrics.

Career highlights

English-language crossover arrived with Laundry Service (2001). Twin 2005 releases Fijación oral, vol. 1 and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 yielded global hits including “Hips Don’t Lie” with Wyclef Jean and Latin Grammy sweeps for “La tortura.” Later landmarks include “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” as the 2010 World Cup anthem, Sale el sol, She Wolf, and a stint as a coach on The Voice. She has served as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation for children in Colombia. Multiple Latin Grammy and Grammy wins mark both her Spanish-language albums and crossover singles. Across Spanish and English markets, billing stayed Shakira; the documented full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll.

Belly-dance technique and Lebanese-Colombian roots remain central to her stage identity, distinguishing her choreography from many English-language pop peers.

Name notes for searchers

Shakira is her real first name used as a mononym, not an invented alias replacing a different legal forename. Prefer Britannica and LOC for the full Spanish-style surname string. Wikipedia is a pointer after primary citations.