Girls' name · since 1979
Sheala
Since 1979, U.S. Social Security records show 279 babies named Sheala, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #16,537 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 279
- born since 1979
- 1990s
- peak decade
279 girls have been named Sheala since 1979, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Social Security Administration records show Sheala recorded 279 times among girls since 1979, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1979 to 2012.
- #16,537 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 279 born since 1979
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sheala ranks #16,537 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 279 born since 1979, peaking in the 1990s.
- #16,537 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 279
- born since 1979
- 1990s
- peak decade
Sheala's 279 recorded births place it above 77.13% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Sheala's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sheala's full recorded timeline at 1996, 55% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 45% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1980, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 16 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sheala popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1979–2012
- Peak year (1998)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 34 years of records
Sheala by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (96 births, 34% of the file).
1990s was Sheala's strongest decade.
96 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Sheala births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 6
1970s
6 births
- 1980s
1980s
67 births
- 1990s
1990s
96 births
- 2000s
2000s
94 births
- 2010s 16
2010s
16 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 96 births (34% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sheala? ▼
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When was Sheala most popular? ▼
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What to do with Sheala's data
- Sheala's decade-level peak was the 1990s (96 total births); usage has since declined to 16 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sheala
Nearby Names Like Sheala
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sheala
Compare Sheala side by side: Sheala vs Sheila Sheala vs Sherry Sheala vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sheala: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~33 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, 1979–2012 (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 Sheala 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.