Shelia

Last seen for girls in 2023 at #12,197 · Last seen for boys in 1971 at #3,963
Given to girls 99.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1959 · 2,283 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
47,780
since 1915

Shelia over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Shelia has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201965peak #170, 1959girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025——
2024——
2023#12,1977—
2022#12,2437—
2021#10,2929—
2020#8,95311—
2019#12,4487—
2018——
2017#7,09216—
2016#8,87512—
2015#9,48111—
2014#10,12910—
2013#11,9698—
2012#12,1998—
2011#12,1538—
2010#8,70113—
2009#6,81119—
2008#9,47612—
2007#9,53912—
2006#7,48216—
2005#8,33013—
2004#4,70728—
2003#7,58014—
2002#5,25422—
2001#4,32128—
2000#4,52726—
1999#4,20127—
1998#3,64832—
1997#3,36534—
1996#3,23736—
1995#2,93240—
1994#2,35355—
1993#2,38053—
1992#2,19161—
1991#1,72784—
1990#1,76982—
1989#1,65183—
1988#1,400100—
1987#1,302106—
1986#1,122129—
1985#1,149124—
1984#1,067131—
1983#1,114121—
1982#900168—
1981#882173—
1980#759218—
1979#728228—
1978#646251—
1977#599284—
1976#524339—
1975#441450—
1974#377567—
1973#325691—
1972#304803—
1971#2761,037#3,9637
1970#2581,192#4,7245
1969#2321,304—
1968#2191,358#4,1365
1967#2081,476—
1966#1811,806#3,5376
1965#1821,892#2,47611
1964#1862,012#2,8549
1963#1852,064#3,0448
1962#1732,271#4,0335
1961#1892,005#3,0978
1960#1772,256#3,0778
1959#1702,283#2,66310
1958#1802,091#3,5596
1957#1802,093#3,5526
1956#1831,946#3,9425
1955#1811,837#3,5056
1954#1901,665#3,4526
1953#2041,484—
1952#2231,236—
1951#2231,160—
1950#242957—
1949#269821—
1948#274795—
1947#283744—
1946#315550—
1945#406305—
1944#484219—
1943#509215—
1942#603152—
1941#620130—
1940#78082—
1939#81172—
1938#87564—
1937#89659—
1936#1,05344—
1935#1,05543—
1934#1,69720—
1933#1,40027—
1932#1,59723—
1931#1,63522—
1930#2,84510—
1929#2,30114—
1928#2,02318—
1927#2,25616—
1926#1,77223—
1925#1,84722—
1924#2,40915—
1923#2,91711—
1922#2,61213—
1921#3,6668—
1920#3,9577—
1919#3,8177—
1918——
1917#4,0836—
1916#3,9196—
1915#4,2745—
1914——
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1912——
1911——
1910——
1909——
1908——
1907——
1906——
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1882——
1881——
1880——
First appearance
1915

The first year at least five girls were named Shelia! It came in at #4,274, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1918, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.

Where Shelia is popular in 1965

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedNHWashington: #461 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 3,693 girlsWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedMNIllinois: #204 for girls · 81 births · 1 in 1,127 girlsILWisconsin: #425 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 5,233 girlsWIMichigan: #323 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 2,545 girlsMINew York: #481 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 4,521 girlsNYMassachusetts: #471 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 6,749 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedSDIowa: #344 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 3,163 girlsIAIndiana: #287 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 1,953 girlsINOhio: #299 for girls · 40 births · 1 in 2,201 girlsOHPennsylvania: #439 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 4,649 girlsPANew Jersey: #391 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 3,590 girlsNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #463 for girls · 47 births · 1 in 3,440 girlsCAUtah: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedUTColorado: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedNEMissouri: #190 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 934 girlsMOKentucky: #66 for girls · 95 births · 1 in 282 girlsKYWest Virginia: #90 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 366 girlsWVVirginia: #99 for girls · 87 births · 1 in 419 girlsVAMaryland: #218 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 1,226 girlsMDDelaware: #178 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 791 girlsDEArizona: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedNMKansas: #203 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 906 girlsKSArkansas: #57 for girls · 65 births · 1 in 230 girlsARTennessee: #49 for girls · 152 births · 1 in 211 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #59 for girls · 164 births · 1 in 255 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #88 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 369 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #207 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 975 girlsDCOklahoma: #127 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 501 girlsOKLouisiana: #48 for girls · 161 births · 1 in 208 girlsLAMississippi: #33 for girls · 131 births · 1 in 159 girlsMSAlabama: #54 for girls · 129 births · 1 in 229 girlsALGeorgia: #73 for girls · 134 births · 1 in 305 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedHITexas: #165 for girls · 138 births · 1 in 695 girlsTXFlorida: #143 for girls · 68 births · 1 in 653 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Mississippi#33 · 1 in 159
  2. Louisiana#48 · 1 in 208
  3. Tennessee#49 · 1 in 211
  4. Alabama#54 · 1 in 229
  5. Arkansas#57 · 1 in 230

Best ever in a state: #31 in Mississippi, 1966.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Mississippi#331311 in 159
Louisiana#481611 in 208
Tennessee#491521 in 211
Alabama#541291 in 229
Arkansas#57651 in 230
North Carolina#591641 in 255
Kentucky#66951 in 282
Georgia#731341 in 305
South Carolina#88611 in 369
West Virginia#90371 in 366
Virginia#99871 in 419
Oklahoma#127341 in 501
Florida#143681 in 653
Texas#1651381 in 695
Delaware#17851 in 791
Missouri#190391 in 934
Kansas#203171 in 906
Illinois#204811 in 1,127
District of Columbia#207121 in 975
Maryland#218231 in 1,226
Indiana#287221 in 1,953
Ohio#299401 in 2,201
Michigan#323291 in 2,545
Iowa#34471 in 3,163
New Jersey#391151 in 3,590
Wisconsin#42571 in 5,233
Pennsylvania#439201 in 4,649
Washington#46161 in 3,693
California#463471 in 3,440
Massachusetts#47171 in 6,749
New York#481341 in 4,521
Alaska———
Arizona———
Colorado———
Connecticut———
Hawaii———
Idaho———
Maine———
Minnesota———
Montana———
Nebraska———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
New Mexico———
North Dakota———
Oregon———
Rhode Island———
South Dakota———
Utah———
Vermont———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Shelia
Momentum · girls
Faded out
  • Not published in 2025; last seen 2023
  • Biggest jump: 160 spots in 1941 (#780 → #620)
  • Biggest drop: 214 spots in 1983 (#900 → #1,114)
Rise & fade · girls
44 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1915
  • Peaked 1959 at #170 (2,283 births)
  • Births halved by 1971, 12 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 46 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 46 yrs · run 1937–1982
Share of babies · girls
1 in 866
  • Highest: 1 in 866 girls born in 1962 were named Shelia (0.12%)
  • Latest: 1 in 229,226 girls born in 2023 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #170 in 1959, was only 1 in 886 (0.11%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1960s
  • 38.6% of all girls named Shelia (18,444) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1910s24#3,817 (1919)#4,023
1920s147#1,772 (1926)#2,576
1930s384#811 (1939)#1,386
1940s4,013#269 (1949)#454
1950s16,752#170 (1959)#198
1960s18,444#173 (1962)#193
1970s5,842#258 (1970)#448
1980s1,353#759 (1980)#1,135
1990s504#1,727 (1991)#2,780
2000s190#4,321 (2001)#6,803
2010s93#7,092 (2017)#10,339
2020s34#8,953 (2020)#10,921

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Shelia in 1965

girls
#182
1,892 births · 1 in 933 girls
boys
#2,476
11 births · 1 in 169,104 boys

Top girls' names in 1965

  1. #1Lisa60,271
  2. #2Mary34,270
  3. #3Karen32,869
  4. #4Kimberly28,836
  5. #5Susan26,321
  6. #6Patricia23,552
  7. #7Donna19,700
  8. #8Linda19,345
  9. #9Cynthia19,239
  10. #10Angela18,754
  11. #182Shelia1,892

Top boys' names in 1965

  1. #1Michael80,992
  2. #2John71,493
  3. #3David67,825
  4. #4James67,666
  5. #5Robert63,106
  6. #6William40,111
  7. #7Mark38,244
  8. #8Richard36,817
  9. #9Thomas31,595
  10. #10Jeffrey29,574
  11. #2,476Shelia11
More about 1965

girls

1,765,164 girls got a published name in 1965; 1 in 933 of them was named Shelia, which outranked 97.6% of the 7,535 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shelia
  1. #179Samantha1,961
  2. #180Natalie1,940
  3. #181Ronda1,913
  4. #182Shelia1,892
  5. #183Jo1,852
  6. #184Shari1,847
  7. #185Loretta1,839
Biggest movers since 1964
Risers
  1. ↑ 723Marni#1,610 → #887
  2. ↑ 654Dionne#1,281 → #627
  3. ↑ 432Marnie#1,016 → #584
  4. ↑ 426Keli#1,383 → #957
  5. ↑ 368Gia#1,334 → #966
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,326Djuna#738 → #2,064
  2. ↓ 470Djuana#756 → #1,226
  3. ↓ 383Shirl#714 → #1,097
  4. ↓ 297Beverley#955 → #1,252
  5. ↓ 275Dottie#912 → #1,187

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,860,143 boys got a published name in 1965; 1 in 169,104 of them was named Shelia, which outranked 44.0% of the 4,425 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shelia
  1. #2,366Young12
  2. #2,366Zeke12
  3. #2,366Zoltan12
  4. #2,476Shelia11
  5. #2,476Acie11
  6. #2,476Albin11
  7. #2,476Alexandre11
  8. #2,617Abran10
  9. #2,617Adell10
  10. #2,617Adolf10

Tied with 140 names at #2,476; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1964
Risers
  1. ↑ 785Trace#1,655 → #870
  2. ↑ 729Darran#1,729 → #1,000
  3. ↑ 655Daryn#1,371 → #716
  4. ↑ 648Darian#1,545 → #897
  5. ↑ 512Darryn#1,327 → #815
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,557Jaimie#809 → #2,366
  2. ↓ 443Tammy#875 → #1,318
  3. ↓ 406Destry#637 → #1,043
  4. ↓ 318Dewitt#936 → #1,254
  5. ↓ 303Cassius#860 → #1,163

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1965 →