Sheila

Did you know?

A few things about Sheila you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Sheila

Sheila E.

American singer and percussionist (born 1957)

Choose Sheila and your child shares a first name with Sheila E., an American singer and percussionist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Sheila, like who?” Sheila E.'s Wikipedia article is available in 26 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Sheila E. on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 24,752 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Sheila, 65 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Sheila would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistorySheila first shows up in US birth records in 1907, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 118 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1965, when it ranked #50. Today it's #2,645, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowSheila was 4.7× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 5,294 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 24,752.
• 🍂TrendSheila has slipped 1,052 places over the last five years and now sits at #2,645. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningSheila is an Irish form of Cecilia, which means “blind”. Our records link it to Celtic Gaelic, Irish and Latin roots.

About the name Sheila

Sheila is a girl name of Celtic Gaelic, Irish and Latin origin meaning “blind”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with S and ending in “-ila”. US birth records list Sheila for girls from 1907 to 2025, in 119 of those 119 years. Its best year was 1965, when it ranked #50 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,645, with 65 babies.

Origin:Celtic Gaelic namesIrish namesLatin names