Nameling

Sheila

Gender
Girl
Origin
Irish
UK rank, 2025
#3,409 for girls
US rank, 2025
#2,645 for girls

Sheila is a girls' name of Irish origin. In 2025 it ranked 3,409th for girls in the UK (7 babies) and 2,645th for girls in the US (65 babies).

What does Sheila mean?

Irish

A female given name from Irish, popular in the UK from the 1920s to the 1950s; variant forms Shelagh, Sheelagh, Sheilagh, Sheela, Sile.

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Is Sheila a girl's or a boy's name?

Sheila is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 7 girls in the UK and 65 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Sheila in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#3,409among girls
Babies in 2025
7about 1 in 40,000 girls
Five-year trend
Steadymuch the same
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 7 girls in the UK were named Sheila, making it the 3,409th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,009th. Its busiest year was 2006, with 16 girls.

Half of all the girls named Sheila in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

Among girls in 2025, it was 3,332nd in England and Wales.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1924 (#43), 1934 (#6), 1944 (#21), 1954 (#34) and 1964 (#99).

1996Busiest: 16 in 20062025
Sheila in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20257#3,409
20245#4,253
20234#4,915
20225#4,168
20217#3,338
20208#3,009
20193#5,804
20185#4,204
20176#3,774
201610#2,692
20153#5,983
20145#4,187
201311#2,454
20126#3,881
20118#3,041
20105#4,220
200910#2,478
20084#4,742
20077#3,060
200616#1,614
20058#2,555
20046#2,957
200313#1,649
20028#2,231
20018#2,150
200011#1,689
19997#2,295
199810#1,815
199713#1,466
199611#1,621

How popular is Sheila in the US?

Rank in 2025
#2,645among girls
Babies in 2025
65about 1 in 25,000 girls
Five-year trend
Steadydown 17% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 65 girls in the US were named Sheila, making it the 2,645th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,593rd. Its busiest year was 1962, with 8,778 girls. It first appears in the records in 1907.

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Sheila than any year since 1917.

Half of all the girls named Sheila in the US since 1880 were born between 1951 and 1967, the years shaded on the chart below.

1907Busiest: 8,778 in 19622025
Sheila in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202565#2,645
202497#2,011
2023102#1,934
2022127#1,659
2021115#1,768
2020131#1,593
201990#2,090
201896#2,026
2017104#1,930
2016114#1,815
2015124#1,704
2014162#1,410
2013145#1,514
2012145#1,523
2011183#1,289
2010186#1,278
2009170#1,392
2008224#1,145
2007271#988
2006279#938
2005240#1,015
2004315#802
2003303#815
2002340#722
2001383#657
2000343#688
1999353#653
1998348#662
1997309#698
1996378#605
1995395#582
1994419#563
1993543#462
1992642#400
1991633#406
1990626#413
1989658#385
1988711#349
1987800#306
1986979#261
19851,012#251
1984908#267
1983946#249
19821,099#231
19811,214#217
19801,214#214
19791,368#195
19781,414#184
19771,656#163
19761,871#143
19752,099#134
19742,438#121
19732,999#101
19723,394#90
19714,333#81
19704,937#75
19695,245#68
19685,730#59
19676,326#56
19667,208#51
19657,904#50
19648,471#51
19638,706#50
19628,778#52
19617,805#59
19607,905#56
19597,984#52
19587,291#59
19577,763#58
19567,872#55
19557,661#57
19547,202#60
19536,965#60
19526,217#64
19515,897#69
19505,322#70
19494,774#76
19485,022#71
19475,095#73
19464,706#70
19453,178#89
19442,665#103
19433,063#92
19422,973#94
19412,341#110
19401,923#130
19391,957#125
19381,784#136
19371,573#142
19361,312#157
19351,326#151
1934781#222
1933737#226
1932609#251
1931538#265
1930341#363
1929332#367
1928242#433
1927233#455
1926210#479
1925214#473
1924162#574
1923139#625
1922120#661
1921110#707
192091#762
191969#835
191876#821
191759#896
191645#1,026
191542#1,025
191431#1,080
191318#1,358
191220#1,178
191118#1,031
191010#1,521
190913#1,152
190811#1,261
19079#1,384

Names like Sheila

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Tara Cara Erin Sara Jessica Holly Darla Diana Sarah Laura Dara Robyn

Names related to Sheila

Sila Suheyla Shaila Shilah Sheyla Sheily Sela Sheyli

More Irish names

Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Ronan Connor Declan Casey Kennedy

Every Irish name

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, “Sheila: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sheila, updated 20 October 2026.