Girls' name · since 1915
Shelia
Since 1915, U.S. Social Security records show 47,780 babies named Shelia, peaking in 1959. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #608 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 47,780
- born since 1915
- 1960s
- peak decade
Shelia is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 47,780 have been recorded since 1915.
Social Security Administration records show Shelia recorded 47,780 times among girls since 1915, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2023.
- #608 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 47,780 born since 1915
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shelia ranks #608 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 47,780 born since 1915, peaking in the 1960s.
- #608 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 47,780
- born since 1915
- 1960s
- peak decade
Shelia's 47,780 recorded births place it above 99.15% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
41 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
Shelia's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shelia splits its recorded history at 1969: 20% of all births land in the more recent half, 80% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1915 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1959 peak of 2,283 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shelia popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2023
- Peak year (1959)
- 2,283
- Annual births at peak, across 109 years of records
Shelia popularity over time - boys
111 total births recorded since 1954 (Shelia as boys' name)
Shelia by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (18,444 births, 39% of the file).
1960s was Shelia's strongest decade.
18,444 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Shelia births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 24
1910s
24 births
- 1920s 147
1920s
147 births
- 1930s 384
1930s
384 births
- 1940s 4,013
1940s
4,013 births
- 1950s
1950s
16,752 births
- 1960s
1960s
18,444 births
- 1970s 5,842
1970s
5,842 births
- 1980s 1,353
1980s
1,353 births
- 1990s 504
1990s
504 births
- 2000s 190
2000s
190 births
- 2010s 93
2010s
93 births
- 2020s 34
2020s
34 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 18,444 births (39% of all-time use).
How Shelia 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 Shelia's total volume
Shelia by state
Where Shelia concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 4,034 | 8.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 4,014 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Alabama | | 3,673 | 7.7% |
| #4 | Tennessee | | 3,608 | 7.6% |
| #5 | Louisiana | | 3,245 | 6.8% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 2,965 | 6.2% |
| #7 | Mississippi | | 2,745 | 5.7% |
| #8 | Kentucky | | 2,325 | 4.9% |
4,034 of 47,780 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Shelia appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shelia? ▼
Where does Shelia sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shelia most popular? ▼
Where is Shelia most popular? ▼
How long has the name Shelia been used? ▼
What names are similar to Shelia? ▼
What to do with Shelia's data
- Shelia's decade-level peak was the 1960s (18,444 total births); usage has since declined to 34 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Shelias (4,034 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shelia
Nearby Names Like Shelia
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shelia
Compare Shelia side by side: Shelia vs Sheila Shelia vs Sherry Shelia 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 Shelia: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1959)
Similar record span (~108 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, 1915–2023 (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 Shelia 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.