How many countries still use shilling as a currency?

The word shilling comes from Old English "Scilling", a monetary term meaning twentieth of a pound, from the Proto-Germanic root "skiljaną" meaning 'to separate, split, divide', from "(s)kelH"- meaning 'to cut, split.' The word "Scilling" is mentioned in the earliest recorded Germanic law codes, those of Æthelberht of Kent.

There is evidence that it may alternatively be an early borrowing of Phoenician 𐤔𐤒𐤋‎ shekel, Punic sql (sə'kel) meaning 'weigh' and 'coin'.

The shilling is a classic among British coins, and was adopted as currency by many countries. Today, there are few states that are still using the shilling as their legal currency. Those states are: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia.

First minted for use in the 1500’s under the rule of Henry VII in Britain, the shilling was a very common coin across the Commonwealth before the currency was switched to the pound.

Many currencies have colloquial nicknames, and the shilling is no exception. Often referred to as a “bob”, this name is believed to have originated in the 1700s. It’s origin is not 100% certain, but the Royal Mint offers two likely explanations. First, “Bawbee” was 16-19th century slang for a half-penny and the thought is that “bob” may have evolved as a short form of that. Alternatively, shilling could be a derivation of a Proto-Germanic word, “skell”, which means “ring”. The connection here is that “bob” is also a phrase used to describe a pattern run on church bells.