Shea
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- SHAY
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #447 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,150 for girls
Big in Northern Ireland
Shea is a boys' name of Irish origin. In 2025 it ranked 447th for boys in the UK (99 babies) and 1,150th for girls in the US (201 babies).
What does Shea mean?
Irish: from the surname O'Shea
From the Irish surname O'Shea, in Irish Ó Séaghdha.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Shea a girl's or a boy's name?
Shea is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 99 boys in the UK and 201 girls and 111 boys in the US.
How popular is Shea in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #447among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 99about 1 in 3,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 3% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 99 boys in the UK were named Shea, making it the 447th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 503rd. Its busiest year was 2007, with 196 boys.
Half of all the boys named Shea in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 231 boys in the UK were given Shea or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #238, up from #447 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,196th in England and Wales, 400th in Scotland and 22nd in Northern Ireland.
Shea in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 99 | #447 |
| 2024 | 70 | #605 |
| 2023 | 84 | #520 |
| 2022 | 93 | #478 |
| 2021 | 108 | #438 |
| 2020 | 85 | #503 |
| 2019 | 78 | #547 |
| 2018 | 98 | #467 |
| 2017 | 104 | #456 |
| 2016 | 100 | #461 |
| 2015 | 115 | #416 |
| 2014 | 96 | #471 |
| 2013 | 118 | #391 |
| 2012 | 138 | #357 |
| 2011 | 117 | #387 |
| 2010 | 154 | #325 |
| 2009 | 186 | #267 |
| 2008 | 169 | #284 |
| 2007 | 196 | #240 |
| 2006 | 179 | #243 |
| 2005 | 186 | #223 |
| 2004 | 183 | #221 |
| 2003 | 176 | #220 |
| 2002 | 155 | #228 |
| 2001 | 110 | #282 |
| 2000 | 102 | #298 |
| 1999 | 135 | #254 |
| 1998 | 89 | #325 |
| 1997 | 81 | #346 |
| 1996 | 22 | #746 |
How popular is Shea in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,150among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 201about 1 in 8,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 7% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 201 girls in the US were named Shea, making it the 1,150th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,145th. Its busiest year was 2005, with 348 girls. It first appears in the records in 1950. 111 boys were also named Shea in 2025 (1,547th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Shea in the US since 1880 were born between 1988 and 2010, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 477 girls in the US were given Shea or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #614, up from #1,150 for this spelling alone.
In 2025, 64% of the babies named Shea in the US were girls.
Shea in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 201 | #1,150 |
| 2024 | 201 | #1,188 |
| 2023 | 247 | #1,024 |
| 2022 | 245 | #1,043 |
| 2021 | 242 | #1,042 |
| 2020 | 207 | #1,145 |
| 2019 | 205 | #1,164 |
| 2018 | 195 | #1,210 |
| 2017 | 184 | #1,282 |
| 2016 | 234 | #1,098 |
| 2015 | 191 | #1,275 |
| 2014 | 206 | #1,186 |
| 2013 | 197 | #1,220 |
| 2012 | 171 | #1,364 |
| 2011 | 172 | #1,345 |
| 2010 | 199 | #1,218 |
| 2009 | 252 | #1,032 |
| 2008 | 278 | #962 |
| 2007 | 293 | #923 |
| 2006 | 296 | #897 |
| 2005 | 348 | #763 |
| 2004 | 329 | #784 |
| 2003 | 318 | #778 |
| 2002 | 294 | #796 |
| 2001 | 327 | #734 |
| 2000 | 321 | #723 |
| 1999 | 281 | #783 |
| 1998 | 315 | #702 |
| 1997 | 309 | #698 |
| 1996 | 286 | #737 |
| 1995 | 260 | #772 |
| 1994 | 287 | #723 |
| 1993 | 243 | #820 |
| 1992 | 272 | #763 |
| 1991 | 266 | #773 |
| 1990 | 228 | #862 |
| 1989 | 231 | #820 |
| 1988 | 253 | #740 |
| 1987 | 229 | #775 |
| 1986 | 206 | #815 |
| 1985 | 193 | #842 |
| 1984 | 179 | #855 |
| 1983 | 119 | #1,127 |
| 1982 | 132 | #1,079 |
| 1981 | 136 | #1,050 |
| 1980 | 154 | #959 |
| 1979 | 151 | #959 |
| 1978 | 130 | #1,046 |
| 1977 | 118 | #1,097 |
| 1976 | 112 | #1,086 |
| 1975 | 118 | #1,022 |
| 1974 | 155 | #847 |
| 1973 | 127 | #947 |
| 1972 | 125 | #967 |
| 1971 | 127 | #988 |
| 1970 | 114 | #1,069 |
| 1969 | 79 | #1,259 |
| 1968 | 42 | #1,834 |
| 1967 | 43 | #1,751 |
| 1966 | 36 | #1,916 |
| 1965 | 21 | #2,683 |
| 1964 | 25 | #2,474 |
| 1963 | 9 | #4,538 |
| 1962 | 11 | #4,010 |
| 1961 | 13 | #3,607 |
| 1960 | 13 | #3,511 |
| 1959 | 11 | #3,826 |
| 1958 | 8 | #4,519 |
| 1957 | 9 | #4,201 |
| 1956 | 8 | #4,466 |
| 1955 | 8 | #4,375 |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 6 | #5,039 |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 7 | #4,384 |
| 1950 | 7 | #4,313 |
Names like Shea
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Cody Finn Kian Ryan Quinn Aiden Dylan Rian Brody Cole Kody Casey
Other spellings of Shea
Names related to Shea
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Nolan Orla Erin Ronan Connor Declan Kennedy Callan Lennon Cillian Kevin Sloane
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Shea: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/shea, updated 20 October 2026.