Sheila
Girl name · #2652 in 2025 · Very rare
How old is the name Sheila? In official American birth records, Sheila has been tracked continuously since 1907, giving it 118 years of documented American history.
Sheila is currently the #2652 girl name in the United States — 65 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1704, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 27,692 girls born in 2025 was named Sheila.
The 118-year story
Sheila first appears in the Social Security records in 1907, when 9 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1962, when 8,778 girls were named Sheila — good for #52 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Sheila per year. Source: Official national birth records.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Sheila against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Sheila in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Sheila is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Sheila will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Sheila is most common
State-level data for Sheila is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Sheila
Statistically, parents drawn to Sheila tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Twila, Pamela, Sonya, Suzanne, and Marla.
TwilaPamelaSonyaSuzanneMarlaSonjaUrsulaDianna
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Sheila | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 65 | #2645 |
| 2024 | 97 | #2011 |
| 2023 | 102 | #1934 |
| 2022 | 127 | #1659 |
| 2021 | 115 | #1768 |
| 2020 | 131 | #1593 |
| 2019 | 90 | #2090 |
| 2018 | 96 | #2026 |
| 2017 | 104 | #1930 |
| 2016 | 114 | #1815 |
| 2015 | 124 | #1704 |
| 2014 | 162 | #1410 |
| 2013 | 145 | #1514 |
| 2012 | 145 | #1523 |
| 2011 | 183 | #1289 |
| 2010 | 186 | #1278 |
| 2009 | 170 | #1392 |
| 2008 | 224 | #1145 |
| 2007 | 271 | #988 |
| 2006 | 279 | #938 |
| 2005 | 240 | #1015 |
| 2004 | 315 | #802 |
| 2003 | 303 | #815 |
| 2002 | 340 | #722 |
| 2001 | 383 | #657 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Sheila?
In official American birth records, the name Sheila first appeared in 1907 (over 118 years ago), when 9 newborn girls received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 118 years.
Is Sheila a popular girl name?
Sheila ranked #2652 among girls in 2025 with 65 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1704.
When was the name Sheila most popular?
Sheila peaked in 1962, when 8,778 American girls received the name (ranked #52 that year). Since 1962 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Sheila?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 27,692 newborn American girls was named Sheila. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.