Sheila
Girl name · #2652 in 2025 · Uniqueness 87/100
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, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Sheila against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Sheila in class?
Sheila scores 87 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. 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
Geography matters for names, and Sheila is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Sheilas were CA (12), NY (5), TX (5). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
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. It scores 87/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "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.