Girl · #12,180 in 2026

Shelia

Shelia is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Shelia Burrell, retired American heptathlete Shelia Conover, American sprint canoeist Shelia Eddy, American convicted of murder Shelia Goss, American author, freelance writer, and screenwriter Shelia Guberman, Russian scientist in computer science, nuclear physics, geology, geophysics, medicine, and perception Shelia Jordan, the Mayor…

Current Rank
#12,180
Peak Rank
#170 (1959)
Total Babies
48K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1915
First Year
2023
Last Year
1959
Peak Year
#170
Peak Rank
48K
Total Count
107
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Shelia

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Shelia is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Shelia Burrell, retired American heptathlete Shelia Conover, American sprint canoeist Shelia Eddy, American convicted of murder Shelia Goss, American author, freelance writer, and screenwriter Shelia Guberman, Russian scientist in computer science, nuclear physics, geology, geophysics, medicine, and perception Shelia Jordan, the Mayor…

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Shelia

Shelia first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1915, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1959, when 2,283 Shelias were born — ranking #170 that year. As of 2026, Shelia ranks #12,180 for baby girls with 7 births, with steady use. In total, more than 48K Shelias have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Shelia

Phonetically similar names — useful when Shelia 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 Shelia

What does the name Shelia mean?
Shelia is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Shelia Burrell, retired American heptathlete Shelia Conover, American sprint canoeist Shelia Eddy, American convicted of murder Shelia Goss, American author, freelance writer, and screenwriter Shelia Guberman, Russian scientist in computer science, nuclear physics, geology, geophysics, medicine, and perception Shelia Jordan, the Mayor…
How popular is Shelia in 2026?
In 2026, Shelia ranks #12,180 among girls' names in the U.S., with 7 babies given the name that year.
When was Shelia most popular?
Shelia reached its peak popularity in 1959, ranking #170 that year with 2,283 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Shelia most popular?
Shelia has historically been most popular in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Shelia.
Is Shelia a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Shelia is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Shelia?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Shelia include Antoinette, Katharine, Phoebe. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Shelia

Shelia is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1915 and has accumulated 48K births in the dataset. Shelia's peak popularity came in 1959 when it ranked #170. Use the chart and map above to compare Shelia's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.