girl's name
Shelia
SHEE-luh
- Origin Irish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Births on record 47,946
Ireland
#606
1982 births
Shelia is Cecilia with two letters swapped and four languages in between — Cecilia became the Irish Síle, Síle was written Sheila in English, and Sheila was misspelled into Shelia often enough to become its own name.
- Shelia is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 1959, when 2,293 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- First appears in US birth records in 1915.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Shelia over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2023, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 24 |
| 1920s | 147 |
| 1930s | 384 |
| 1940s | 4,013 |
| 1950s | 16,791 |
| 1960s | 18,504 |
| 1970s | 5,854 |
| 1980s | 1,353 |
| 1990s | 504 |
| 2000s | 190 |
| 2010s | 93 |
| 2020s (to 2023) | 34 |
What Shelia means
Shelia means blind, carried at several removes from Cecilia. The Latin behind it was an uncomplimentary byname, and none of that sense survives the journey.
Where Shelia comes from
Shelia is a metathesis of Sheila — two letters transposed — and Sheila anglicizes the Irish Síle, which is Cecilia, from the Roman Caecilius and caecus, blind. Cecelia, elsewhere on this site, is the same Latin name by a direct route. The Irish form traveled to Australia, where sheila became the general slang word for a woman. Our records show Shelia used almost entirely in the United States.
Shelia in use
Shelia peaked in the United States in 1959, when 2,293 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in none of the six markets we track in the most recent year, despite 47,946 lifetime births. Ireland recorded a small series peaking at 11 births in 1968, and we hold no births for it in any other market in any year.
How popular is Shelia?
In 2023, Shelia was given to 7 babies in the United States. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published US data.
Where Shelia 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.
Names that peaked alongside Shelia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Shelia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Shelia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Shelia 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 Shelia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Shelia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Shelia
What does the name Shelia mean?
Blind — from Cecilia by way of the Irish Síle and English Sheila.
Is Shelia a misspelling?
It began as one — two letters transposed from Sheila — and became established on its own.
Why is sheila Australian slang?
The Irish form was common enough among settlers to become a general word for a woman.
Is Cecelia related?
Yes — the same Latin name, by a direct route rather than through Irish.
How popular is the name Shelia?
In 2023, Shelia was given to 7 babies in the United States. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published US data.
Is Shelia a girl's or a boy's name?
Shelia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Shelia?
Shelia has 2 syllables.
When was Shelia most popular?
Shelia peaked in 1959, when 2,293 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.