Shea
Gender-neutral name · Celtic Gaelic · Irish
- US rank
- #1,150
- Syllables
- 1
- Peak
- #698 in 1997
201 babies were named Shea in the US in 2025. It has dropped 5 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1950–2025
US births per million boys, 1954–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Shea you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Shea
Shea Whigham
American actor
Choose Shea and your child shares a first name with Shea Whigham, an American actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Shea, like who?” Shea Whigham's Wikipedia article is available in 36 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Shea Whigham on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Aubrey Gemignani, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 7,994 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Shea, 201 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Shea would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryShea first shows up in US birth records in 1950, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 75 years since.
- Best yearIts best year was 1997, when it reached #698.
- Where it's lovedShea is most popular in Massachusetts, where it ranks #273, followed by Connecticut (#393) and New Jersey (#499). It's in the top 1,000 in 9 states.
- Boy or girlShea is given to both boys and girls: 64% of the 312 babies named Shea in 2025 were girls. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
About the name Shea
Shea is a gender-neutral name of Celtic Gaelic and Irish origin. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with S and ending in “-hea”. US birth records list Shea for girls from 1950 to 2025, in 74 of those 76 years. Its best year was 1997, when it ranked #698 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,150, with 201 babies. Of the 312 US babies named Shea in 2025, 64% were girls and 36% were boys.
Origin:Celtic Gaelic namesIrish names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.3 | 302,115 girls |
| 1960s | 17 | 59,559 girls |
| 1970s | 83 | 12,053 girls |
| 1980s | 106 | 9,423 girls |
| 1990s | 153 | 6,538 girls |
| 2000s | 166 | 6,039 girls |
| 2010s | 112 | 8,954 girls |
| 2020s | 138 | 7,246 girls |
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.0 | 508,475 boys |
| 1960s | 10 | 95,511 boys |
| 1970s | 55 | 18,132 boys |
| 1980s | 104 | 9,621 boys |
| 1990s | 90 | 11,094 boys |
| 2000s | 90 | 11,056 boys |
| 2010s | 63 | 15,934 boys |
| 2020s | 72 | 13,834 boys |
More Celtic Gaelic names
- Girl name: Hazel · hazel tree
- Girl name: Genevieve · possibly woman of the people
- Girl name: Brianna · possibly noble, strong
- Girl name: Maisie · pearl
- Boy name: Bowen · son of Owen
- Boy name: Malcolm · devotee of Saint Columba
- Girl name: Bonnie · pretty
- Girl name: Cecelia · blind
Questions about the name Shea
What is the origin of the name Shea?
Shea has Celtic Gaelic, Irish roots in our records. Other Celtic Gaelic names include Hazel, Genevieve, Brianna.
Is Shea a boy or girl name?
Both. Shea is used for boys and girls: in 2025, 64% of US babies named Shea were girls.
How popular is the name Shea?
Shea ranked #1,150 for US girls in 2025, given to 201 babies. Its best year was 1997 (#698).