Sheila
Girl name · #2652 in 2025 · Very rare
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: SSA.
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
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: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.