Unisex name · since 1950
Shea
12,565 babies named Shea in U.S. Social Security records since 1950, with the highest year being 2005. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,454 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,153 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,565
- born since 1950
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Shea is the #1153 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 12,565 recorded since 1950.
Shea has 12,565 recorded births among girls since 1950, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1153 as of the latest data, more common than 93% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1950 to 2025.
- #1,454 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,153 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 12,565 born since 1950
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shea ranks #1,454 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,153 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 12,565 born since 1950, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1,454 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,153 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,565
- born since 1950
- 2000s
- peak decade
Shea's 12,565 recorded births place it above 97.99% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
42 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Shea compares
12,565 Top 9% higher than 91% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Shea's all-time total is 33x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shea | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,565 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 348 | 21 | 19,840 |
Shea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shea splits its recorded history at 1989: 74% of all births land in the more recent half, 26% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1953 (6 births) -- compare that against the 2005 peak of 348 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shea popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1950–2025
- Peak year (2005)
- 348
- Annual births at peak, across 76 years of records
Shea popularity over time - boys
8,537 total births recorded since 1954 (Shea as boys' name)
Shea by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (3,056 births, 24% of the file).
2000s was Shea's strongest decade.
3,056 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Shea births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 64
1950s
64 births
- 1960s 292
1960s
292 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,277 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,832 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,747 births
- 2000s
2000s
3,056 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,954 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,343 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 3,056 births (24% of all-time use).
How Shea compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Shea's total volume
Shea by state
Where Shea concentrates geographically, total births since 1950
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,208 | 9.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 861 | 6.9% |
| #3 | New York | | 856 | 6.8% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 585 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 551 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Florida | | 545 | 4.3% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 517 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 492 | 3.9% |
1,208 of 12,565 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 42 reporting states.
Shea appears in 42 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Shea's data
- Shea's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (3,056 total births) through the 2020s (1,343) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Sheas (1,208 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shea
Nearby Names Like Shea
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shea
Compare Shea side by side: Shea vs Sheila Shea vs Sherry Shea vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shea
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shea: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2005)
Similar record span (~75 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1950–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Shea draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.