Girls' name · since 1907
Sheila
Since 1907, U.S. Social Security records show 238,774 babies named Sheila, peaking in 1962. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #170 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,652 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 238,774
- born since 1907
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Sheila is the #2652 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 238,774 recorded since 1907.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sheila has been recorded 238,774 times among girls since 1907, currently ranked #2652 nationally and more common than 85% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1907 to 2025.
- #170 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,652 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 238,774 born since 1907
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sheila ranks #170 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,652 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 238,774 born since 1907, peaking in the 1960s.
- #170 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,652 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 238,774
- born since 1907
- 1960s
- peak decade
Sheila's 238,774 recorded births place it above 99.76% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Sheila compares
238,774 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Sheila's all-time total is 635x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sheila | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 238,774 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,778 | 21 | 19,840 |
Sheila's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sheila splits its recorded history at 1966: 29% of all births land in the more recent half, 71% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1907 (9 births) -- compare that against the 1962 peak of 8,778 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sheila popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1907–2025
- Peak year (1962)
- 8,778
- Annual births at peak, across 119 years of records
Sheila popularity over time - boys
648 total births recorded since 1929 (Sheila as boys' name)
Sheila by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (74,078 births, 31% of the file).
1960s was Sheila's strongest decade.
74,078 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Sheila births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 33
1900s
33 births
- 1910s 388
1910s
388 births
- 1920s 1,853
1920s
1,853 births
- 1930s 10,958
1930s
10,958 births
- 1940s
1940s
35,740 births
- 1950s
1950s
70,174 births
- 1960s
1960s
74,078 births
- 1970s 26,509
1970s
26,509 births
- 1980s 9,541
1980s
9,541 births
- 1990s 4,646
1990s
4,646 births
- 2000s 2,868
2000s
2,868 births
- 2010s 1,349
2010s
1,349 births
- 2020s 637
2020s
637 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 74,078 births (31% of all-time use).
How Sheila 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 Sheila's total volume
Sheila by state
Where Sheila concentrates geographically, total births since 1907
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 21,436 | 9.0% |
| #2 | California | | 16,628 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 13,597 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Texas | | 11,779 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 11,547 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 10,309 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 9,836 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 8,851 | 3.7% |
21,436 of 238,774 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sheila appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sheila? ▼
Where does Sheila sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sheila most popular? ▼
Where is Sheila most popular? ▼
How long has the name Sheila been used? ▼
What names are similar to Sheila? ▼
What to do with Sheila's data
- Sheila's decade-level peak was the 1960s (74,078 total births); usage has since declined to 637 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Sheilas (21,436 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sheila
Nearby Names Like Sheila
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sheila
Compare Sheila side by side: Sheila vs Sherry Sheila vs Shelby Sheila vs Shelly
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sheila
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sheila: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1962)
Similar record span (~118 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, 1907–2025 (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 Sheila 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.