Sheila

#2,645 for girls in 2025, 65 births · Last seen for boys in 1989 at #5,615
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1963 · 8,706 births
Debut · girls
9 births
In top 100 · girls
30 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
238,774
since 1907

Sheila over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201979peak #50, 1963girls
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#2,64565—
2024#2,01197—
2023#1,934102—
2022#1,659127—
2021#1,768115—
2020#1,593131—
2019#2,09090—
2018#2,02696—
2017#1,930104—
2016#1,815114—
2015#1,704124—
2014#1,410162—
2013#1,514145—
2012#1,523145—
2011#1,289183—
2010#1,278186—
2009#1,392170—
2008#1,145224—
2007#988271—
2006#938279—
2005#1,015240—
2004#802315—
2003#815303—
2002#722340—
2001#657383—
2000#688343—
1999#653353—
1998#662348—
1997#698309—
1996#605378—
1995#582395—
1994#563419—
1993#462543—
1992#400642—
1991#406633—
1990#413626—
1989#385658#5,6158
1988#349711#5,7517
1987#306800—
1986#261979#5,9266
1985#2511,012—
1984#267908—
1983#249946#6,2385
1982#2311,099#5,6196
1981#2171,214#4,9617
1980#2141,214#6,2505
1979#1951,368#6,0565
1978#1841,414#4,5547
1977#1631,656#4,1648
1976#1431,871#3,09512
1975#1342,099#3,9418
1974#1212,438#3,12011
1973#1012,999#3,4459
1972#903,394#3,3449
1971#814,333#2,55814
1970#754,937#3,07110
1969#685,245#2,13016
1968#595,730#2,03016
1967#566,326#1,47627
1966#517,208#1,96316
1965#507,904#1,45628
1964#518,471#1,85019
1963#508,706#1,74421
1962#528,778#1,45429
1961#597,805#1,87619
1960#567,905#1,81220
1959#527,984#1,70922
1958#597,291#1,83819
1957#587,763#1,95217
1956#557,872#1,88618
1955#577,661#3,2017
1954#607,202#2,11414
1953#606,965#1,90017
1952#646,217#2,15313
1951#695,897#2,13513
1950#705,322#1,94115
1949#764,774#2,22512
1948#715,022#2,44310
1947#735,095#2,25112
1946#704,706#2,6908
1945#893,178#2,7437
1944#1032,665#1,81015
1943#923,063#2,07413
1942#942,973#2,04213
1941#1102,341—
1940#1301,923—
1939#1251,957#2,6098
1938#1361,784#2,18511
1937#1421,573#2,08812
1936#1571,312#2,8547
1935#1511,326#3,2526
1934#222781#3,2776
1933#226737—
1932#251609—
1931#265538—
1930#363341—
1929#367332#3,9595
1928#433242—
1927#455233—
1926#479210—
1925#473214—
1924#574162—
1923#625139—
1922#661120—
1921#707110—
1920#76291—
1919#83569—
1918#82176—
1917#89659—
1916#1,02645—
1915#1,02542—
1914#1,08031—
1913#1,35818—
1912#1,17820—
1911#1,03118—
1910#1,52110—
1909#1,15213—
1908#1,26111—
1907#1,3849—
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First appearance
1907

The first year at least five girls were named Sheila! It came in at #1,384, and was given to 9 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1907–1910, when fewer than 14 girls a year got the name.

Where Sheila is popular in 1979

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #107 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 383 girlsAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: #185 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 964 girlsNHWashington: #194 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 1,013 girlsWAIdaho: #157 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 691 girlsIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: #112 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 462 girlsNDMinnesota: #126 for girls · 45 births · 1 in 617 girlsMNIllinois: #163 for girls · 85 births · 1 in 879 girlsILWisconsin: #129 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 695 girlsWIMichigan: #158 for girls · 72 births · 1 in 828 girlsMINew York: #240 for girls · 75 births · 1 in 1,319 girlsNYMassachusetts: #190 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 1,057 girlsMARhode Island: #114 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 497 girlsRIOregon: #218 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 1,119 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedNVWyoming: #111 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 409 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #159 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 671 girlsSDIowa: #129 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 657 girlsIAIndiana: #212 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 1,250 girlsINOhio: #223 for girls · 54 births · 1 in 1,335 girlsOHPennsylvania: #199 for girls · 58 births · 1 in 1,179 girlsPANew Jersey: #274 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 1,617 girlsNJConnecticut: #213 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 1,225 girlsCTCalifornia: #252 for girls · 127 births · 1 in 1,286 girlsCAUtah: #242 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 1,339 girlsUTColorado: #146 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 691 girlsCONebraska: #123 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 572 girlsNEMissouri: #152 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 734 girlsMOKentucky: #242 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 1,440 girlsKYWest Virginia: #254 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,523 girlsWVVirginia: #181 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 941 girlsVAMaryland: #211 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 1,145 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedDEArizona: #215 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 992 girlsAZNew Mexico: #198 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 788 girlsNMKansas: #110 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 496 girlsKSArkansas: #172 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 810 girlsARTennessee: #258 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 1,582 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #218 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 1,133 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #158 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 690 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #108 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 514 girlsOKLouisiana: #294 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 1,625 girlsLAMississippi: #253 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 1,199 girlsMSAlabama: #201 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 955 girlsALGeorgia: #201 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 1,050 girlsGAHawaii: #107 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 397 girlsHITexas: #266 for girls · 79 births · 1 in 1,406 girlsTXFlorida: #207 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 1,143 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Alaska#107 · 1 in 383
  2. Hawaii#107 · 1 in 397
  3. Oklahoma#108 · 1 in 514
  4. Kansas#110 · 1 in 496
  5. Wyoming#111 · 1 in 409

Best ever in a state: #15 in North Dakota, 1965.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alaska#10771 in 383
Hawaii#107121 in 397
Oklahoma#108361 in 514
Kansas#110291 in 496
Wyoming#11171 in 409
North Dakota#112101 in 462
Rhode Island#11491 in 497
Nebraska#123181 in 572
Minnesota#126451 in 617
Iowa#129301 in 657
Wisconsin#129441 in 695
Colorado#146271 in 691
Missouri#152441 in 734
Idaho#157101 in 691
Michigan#158721 in 828
South Carolina#158251 in 690
South Dakota#15971 in 671
Illinois#163851 in 879
Arkansas#172161 in 810
Virginia#181311 in 941
New Hampshire#18551 in 964
Massachusetts#190291 in 1,057
Washington#194251 in 1,013
New Mexico#198111 in 788
Pennsylvania#199581 in 1,179
Alabama#201241 in 955
Georgia#201321 in 1,050
Florida#207411 in 1,143
Maryland#211171 in 1,145
Indiana#212291 in 1,250
Connecticut#213121 in 1,225
Arizona#215181 in 992
North Carolina#218291 in 1,133
Oregon#218151 in 1,119
Ohio#223541 in 1,335
New York#240751 in 1,319
Kentucky#242171 in 1,440
Utah#242121 in 1,339
California#2521271 in 1,286
Mississippi#253131 in 1,199
West Virginia#25481 in 1,523
Tennessee#258181 in 1,582
Texas#266791 in 1,406
New Jersey#274231 in 1,617
Louisiana#294181 in 1,625
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Maine———
Montana———
Nevada———
Vermont———

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 Sheila
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 634 spots since 2024 (#2,011 → #2,645)
  • 1,052 spots since 2020 (#1,593 → #2,645)
  • 941 spots since 2015 (#1,704 → #2,645)
  • Biggest jump: 130 spots in 1917 (#1,026 → #896)
  • Biggest drop: 213 spots in 2005 (#802 → #1,015)
Rise & fade · girls
56 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1907
  • Peaked 1963 at #50 (8,706 births)
  • Births halved by 1971, 8 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 30 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 30 yrs · run 1945–1972
  • Top 1,000: 90 yrs · run 1917–2004
Share of babies · girls
1 in 221
  • Highest: 1 in 221 girls born in 1963 were named Sheila (0.45%)
  • Latest: 1 in 24,727 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1960s
  • 31.0% of all girls named Sheila (74,078) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1900s33#1,152 (1909)#1,266
1910s388#821 (1918)#1,077
1920s1,853#367 (1929)#554
1930s10,958#125 (1939)#204
1940s35,740#70 (1946)#91
1950s70,174#52 (1959)#60
1960s74,078#50 (1963)#55
1970s26,509#75 (1970)#129
1980s9,541#214 (1980)#273
1990s4,646#400 (1992)#544
2000s2,868#657 (2001)#916
2010s1,349#1,278 (2010)#1,658
2020s637#1,593 (2020)#1,935

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.

Sheila in 1979

girls
#195
1,368 births · 1 in 1,173 girls
boys
#6,056
5 births · 1 in 344,307 boys

Top girls' names in 1979

  1. #1Jennifer56,712
  2. #2Melissa34,050
  3. #3Amanda31,924
  4. #4Jessica27,780
  5. #5Amy21,609
  6. #6Sarah21,015
  7. #7Heather20,834
  8. #8Angela20,256
  9. #9Nicole19,510
  10. #10Michelle19,266
  11. #195Sheila1,368

Top boys' names in 1979

  1. #1Michael67,713
  2. #2Christopher50,659
  3. #3Jason50,369
  4. #4David42,053
  5. #5James39,351
  6. #6Matthew35,621
  7. #7John35,410
  8. #8Robert34,015
  9. #9Joshua31,120
  10. #10Brian28,659
  11. #6,056Sheila5
More about 1979

girls

1,605,268 girls got a published name in 1979; 1 in 1,173 of them was named Sheila, which outranked 98.4% of the 11,972 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sheila
  1. #192Toni1,396
  2. #193Joanna1,388
  3. #194Marissa1,386
  4. #195Sheila1,368
  5. #196Angie1,366
  6. #197Melody1,365
  7. #198Caroline1,354
Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,593Breanne#2,125 → #532
  2. ↑ 1,527Loni#2,516 → #989
  3. ↑ 1,287Renata#2,012 → #725
  4. ↑ 985Ashanti#1,862 → #877
  5. ↑ 896Nicolette#1,581 → #685
Fallers
  1. ↓ 392Christel#762 → #1,154
  2. ↓ 312Kenisha#557 → #869
  3. ↓ 297Ariane#887 → #1,184
  4. ↓ 285Imelda#947 → #1,232
  5. ↓ 252Farrah#539 → #791

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

boys

1,721,536 boys got a published name in 1979; 1 in 344,307 of them was named Sheila, which outranked 14.4% of the 7,071 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sheila
  1. #5,355Zeshan6
  2. #5,355Ziad6
  3. #5,355Ziyad6
  4. #6,056Sheila5
  5. #6,056Aakash5
  6. #6,056Aarn5
  7. #6,056Aaryn5

Tied with 1,015 names at #6,056; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,228Tyrel#2,134 → #906
  2. ↑ 471Jace#1,186 → #715
  3. ↑ 387Chaz#1,371 → #984
  4. ↑ 311Tyrell#1,051 → #740
  5. ↑ 308Frederic#1,203 → #895
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,230Dequan#927 → #2,157
  2. ↓ 641Rahsaan#869 → #1,510
  3. ↓ 446Chip#989 → #1,435
  4. ↓ 308Rashaun#996 → #1,304
  5. ↓ 307Kenya#749 → #1,056

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

See the top 100 for 1979 →