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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201991peak #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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1911——
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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 1991

  • 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: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedWAIdaho: 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: #1,433 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 15,507 girlsILWisconsin: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedWIMichigan: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedMINew York: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedMARhode 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: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedIAIndiana: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedINOhio: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedOHPennsylvania: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #2,347 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 32,691 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: #708 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 6,495 girlsMOKentucky: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedWVVirginia: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedVAMaryland: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedNMKansas: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedKSArkansas: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedARTennessee: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedTNNorth Carolina: #750 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 6,642 girlsNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedLAMississippi: #280 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 1,496 girlsMSAlabama: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedALGeorgia: #959 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 8,372 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedHITexas: #1,351 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 13,640 girlsTXFlorida: fewer than 5 girls named Shelia, so not publishedFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Mississippi#280 · 1 in 1,496
  2. Missouri#708 · 1 in 6,495
  3. North Carolina#750 · 1 in 6,642
  4. Georgia#959 · 1 in 8,372
  5. Texas#1,351 · 1 in 13,640

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Mississippi#28091 in 1,496
Missouri#70851 in 6,495
North Carolina#75061 in 6,642
Georgia#95951 in 8,372
Texas#1,351101 in 13,640
Illinois#1,43351 in 15,507
California#2,34781 in 32,691
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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 1991

girls
#1,727
84 births · 1 in 22,322 girls

Top girls' names in 1991

  1. #1Ashley43,477
  2. #2Jessica43,398
  3. #3Brittany29,093
  4. #4Amanda28,896
  5. #5Samantha25,651
  6. #6Sarah25,233
  7. #7Stephanie22,775
  8. #8Jennifer20,673
  9. #9Elizabeth20,395
  10. #10Emily20,311
  11. #1,727Shelia84
More about 1991

girls

1,875,007 girls got a published name in 1991; 1 in 22,322 of them was named Shelia, which outranked 88.8% of the 15,466 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 14.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shelia
  1. #1,710Talisa85
  2. #1,710Tatianna85
  3. #1,710Vianca85
  4. #1,727Shelia84
  5. #1,727Alora84
  6. #1,727Caprice84
  7. #1,727Charisma84
  8. #1,740Cristian83
  9. #1,740Jayla83
  10. #1,740Joycelyn83

Tied with 12 names at #1,727; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1990
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,600Rebeccah#2,600 → #1,000
  2. ↑ 1,221Ieshia#1,938 → #717
  3. ↑ 1,135Miriah#2,081 → #946
  4. ↑ 861Alexus#1,813 → #952
  5. ↑ 676Chynna#1,512 → #836
Fallers
  1. ↓ 568Infant#432 → #1,000
  2. ↓ 510Lakeshia#897 → #1,407
  3. ↓ 466Latifah#701 → #1,167
  4. ↓ 432Martika#757 → #1,189
  5. ↓ 416Cecily#575 → #991

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

See the top 100 for 1991 →