Shea
Shea is a name with a single cultural origin: Irish.
- Irish
Meaning & Origin of Shea
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Shea is a name with a single cultural origin: Irish.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Irish
The Story of Shea
As a girl name
Shea first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1950, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2005: 348 births, good for #763 nationwide. About 24% of every Shea on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Shea ranks #1,115 for girls with 218 births, gradually rising (+9%). All told, over 13K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Shea as a boy name dates back to 1954, when 5 babies received it. 1986 was its biggest year on record, with 280 newborns named Shea — #529 in the national rankings. About 22% of every Shea on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Shea ranks #1,432 for boys with 130 births, holding steady (+5%). All told, over 9K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Shea
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Shea. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Sé
- Séaghdha
- Shay
Names that sound like Shea
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shea is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shea
What does the name Shea mean?
What is the origin of the name Shea?
How popular is Shea in 2026?
When was Shea most popular?
In which U.S. states is Shea most popular?
Is Shea a unisex name?
What names go well with Shea?
What are nicknames or variants of Shea?
About the name Shea
Shea is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1950 and has accumulated 13K births in the dataset. Shea's peak popularity came in 2005 when it ranked #698. Use the chart and map above to compare Shea's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2005 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.