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Home › Baby Names Directory › Shelia

Shelia

♀ Girl

Pronounced SHEE-luh /ˈʃiː.lə/High

Meaning: Shelia is the widespread American respelling of Sheila, the anglicized form of Irish Sile, itself derived from Cecilia (Latin Caecilia, 'blind' or 'of heaven'). The swapped -eli- letters are a spelling quirk, not a different name.Medium

In 30 seconds: Shelia is Sheila with two letters flipped (said 'SHEE-luh') — same Irish name, tracing back to Cecilia.
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Origin MediumIrish
MeaningShelia is the widespread American respelling of Sheila, the anglicized form of Irish Sile, itself derived from Cecilia (Latin Caecilia, 'blind' or 'of heaven'). The swapped -eli- letters are a spelling quirk, not a different name.
U.S. rank (2023)#13258 ↗ Rising
2023 U.S. births7 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1959
Total births (all-time)≈ 47,780

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 195919152023

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Shelia carries Sheila's story: an Irish form (Sile) of Cecilia that American parents wrote phonetically, often reversing the vowels. It climbed alongside Sheila to a 1959 crest of a couple of thousand a year and then declined through the century's close.

Because the -eli- order fights English expectation, Shelia is a name its owners spend a lifetime spelling aloud — a real namer's consideration. A woman named Shelia at the 1959 peak is now in her late sixties. The tidier Sheila remains the safer bet for anyone drawn to the sound.

Did you know? Shelia is not a new name so much as a persistent misspelling that stuck: it mirrors Sheila's own 1959 peak, showing how spelling variants ride the wave of the name they copy.
Overall data confidence 62%
References — Shelia — Respelling of Sheila < Sile < Cecilia; 1959 peak

Variations

SheilaShelahSheilah

Nicknames

ShellLia

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Shelia…

Sheila— the standard spelling Shelia varies
Cecilia— the ultimate parent name
Sheena— a like Sh- Celtic-flavored name
Sheryl— a same-era Sh- pick

Explore names like Shelia

By themerespellingirishmid-centuryclassic-root

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Shelia mean?

Shelia is a respelling of Sheila, the Irish form (Sile) of Cecilia, meaning 'blind' or 'of heaven.'

How do you pronounce Shelia?

It's said SHEE-luh /ˈʃiː.lə/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Shelia a boy or girl name?

Shelia is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Shelia?

Shelia tracked Sheila's mid-century high and has thinned since; it reads as a postwar spelling rather than a current revival.

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