unisex name
Shea
SHAY
- Origin Irish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 27,020
Northern Ireland
#52
2024 births
Shea is a unisex name of Irish origin from the surname Ó Séaghdha, whose root means "hawk-like" or "stately." It ranks 52nd in Northern Ireland and our data records it as unisex.
- Shea is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2005, when 531 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 10,626 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1950.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Shea over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 89 |
| 1960s | 485 |
| 1970s | 2,179 |
| 1980s | 3,761 |
| 1990s | 4,505 |
| 2000s | 4,858 |
| 2010s | 3,133 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,092 |
What Shea means
Shea means hawk-like, or stately and fortunate. The Irish séaghdha carries all three senses, describing bearing and good standing rather than a single quality, and reference works pick between them inconsistently.
Where Shea comes from
Shea anglicizes the Irish surname Ó Séaghdha, descendant of Séaghdha, whose root is glossed variously as hawk-like, stately, fine or fortunate — the word covered a cluster of related senses in Old Irish and no single English word carries it. The O'Sheas were a Kerry family and the surname is still concentrated there. Its use as a first name is largely a North American and Northern Irish development, following the general pattern of Irish surnames becoming forenames, and it arrived at unisex status the way most short surname-names do, by being short enough to read either way. Shay is the same name spelled phonetically and is more common in the Republic. A separate word entirely is the shea of shea butter, which is from the Bambara sí of West Africa and is unrelated.
Shea in use
Shea ranks 52nd in Northern Ireland with 46 births in 2024 and 128th in Ireland, where Shay takes more of the demand. Our data records it as unisex. It holds 1,156th in the United States, where the surname-name pattern that produced it is strongest. Our records mark it stable with a peak in 2005 and carry it from 1950.
How popular is Shea?
In 2025, Shea was given to 312 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Shea is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Shea is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Shéa | Shéa is a rare spelling of Shea, written with a fada and recorded 75 times, mostly in Ireland. | 75 |
| Sheá | Sheá is a rare spelling of Shea, written with a fada and recorded 7 times, mostly in Ireland. | 7 |
Names that peaked alongside Shea
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Shea also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Shea over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Shea in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Shea
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Shea — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Shea
What does the name Shea mean?
Shea means "hawk-like" or "stately," from the Irish séaghdha.
Is Shea a boy's or a girl's name?
Both — our data records it as unisex.
What is the difference between Shea and Shay?
They are the same name. Shea keeps the surname spelling; Shay is phonetic and more common in Ireland.
Is Shea related to shea butter?
No. That word comes from the Bambara sí of West Africa.
How popular is the name Shea?
In 2025, Shea was given to 312 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
How many syllables are in Shea?
Shea has 1 syllable.
When was Shea most popular?
Shea peaked in 2005, when 531 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Shea a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Shea currently ranks #52 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.