Unisex name ★ peaked 2005

Shea

Meaning Anglicised from Irish Ó Séaghdha Gender Unisex · 60% girls Rank 2025 #1,159 Trend ↑ Rising 10%

Anglicised from Irish Ó Séaghdha.

Rank 2025
#1,159
among girls · ↑31 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
312
named Shea · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,996
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2005
531 babies
All-time total
21,102
#1,454 all-time among girls
First recorded
1950
in Social Security records

Shea popularity over time

21,102 babies have been named Shea since 1950, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 64 25 89 9 – #3,995
1960s 292 193 485 49 +445% #1,265
1970s 1,277 902 2,179 218 +349% #851
1980s 1,832 1,929 3,761 376 +73% #744
1990s 2,747 1,758 4,505 451 +20% #698
2000s 3,056 1,802 4,858 486 +8% #725
2010s 1,954 1,179 3,133 313 -36% #1,101
2020s (to 2025) 1,343 749 2,092 349 +11% #1,030

Where Shea is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 204 0.13 outside top 500
2027 206 0.13 outside top 500
2028 208 0.13 outside top 500
2029 209 0.13 outside top 500
2030 211 0.13 outside top 500

Where Shea is most popular

Girls named Shea per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.140 per 1,000. Strongest in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Shea born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Connecticut 61 1.05 +649%
Massachusetts 109 0.902 +544%
New Hampshire 11 0.596 +325%
New Jersey 105 0.582 +315%
New York 163 0.412 +194%
Pennsylvania 80 0.338 +142%
Illinois 77 0.336 +140%
Arizona 23 0.164 +17%
Colorado 17 0.152 +9%
Maryland 15 0.142 ≈ national
Michigan 24 0.132 -6%
Iowa 7 0.120 -14%
California 87 0.103 -26%
Virginia 17 0.100 -29%
Ohio 19 0.080 -43%
North Carolina 18 0.079 -44%
Oregon 5 0.077 -45%
Florida 28 0.065 -53%
Wisconsin 6 0.058 -58%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -67%
Texas 35 0.044 -69%
Washington 5 0.035 -75%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -77%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Shea

Shea is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,159 in 2025 with 201 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1950, 21,102 American babies have been named Shea, about 60% girls and 40% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2005, when 531 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Shea stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Shea?

The median living Shea is about 26 years old; half are between 15 and 38. An estimated 21 thousand people named Shea are alive in the United States today.

median 26 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Shea year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 201 #1,159 111 #1,552
2024 201 #1,190 120 #1,498
2023 247 #1,030 144 #1,325
2022 245 #1,046 124 #1,465
2021 242 #1,044 138 #1,347
2020 207 #1,148 112 #1,510
2019 205 #1,167 124 #1,418
2018 195 #1,213 117 #1,488
2017 184 #1,286 127 #1,392
2016 234 #1,101 102 #1,602
2015 191 #1,278 100 #1,611
2014 206 #1,192 106 #1,524
2013 197 #1,226 105 #1,535
2012 171 #1,373 127 #1,345
2011 172 #1,347 148 #1,197
2010 199 #1,220 123 #1,374
2009 252 #1,034 159 #1,151
2008 278 #967 133 #1,315
2007 293 #925 167 #1,095
2006 296 #898 189 #984
2005 348 #764 183 #957
2004 329 #785 195 #894
2003 318 #778 205 #847
2002 294 #799 221 #783
2001 327 #734 187 #862
2000 321 #725 163 #938
1995 260 #774 187 #784
1990 228 #863 221 #683
1985 193 #844 234 #573
1980 154 #963 115 #822
1975 118 #1,025 110 #794
1970 114 #1,073 71 #958
1965 21 #2,735 14 #2,254
1960 13 #3,658 10 #2,843
1955 8 #4,680 – –
1950 7 #4,674 – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Shea

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Shea Whigham Shea Whigham American actor (born 1969) Contemporary
  2. 2 Shea Weber Shea Weber Canadian ice hockey player (born 1985) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Shea, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Shea?

The median living Shea is about 26 years old. Half of all living Sheas are between 15 and 38 years old.

How many people named Shea are alive today?

An estimated 21 thousand people named Shea are alive in the United States, based on 21,102 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Shea mean?

Anglicised from Irish Ó Séaghdha.

How popular is the name Shea in 2025?

Shea ranked #1,159 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 201 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Shea?

21,102 babies have been named Shea in the United States since 1950, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Shea most popular?

Shea peaked in 2005, when 531 newborns received the name.

Is Shea a boy or girl name?

Shea is used for both: about 60% of babies named Shea have been girls and 40% boys.

Is the name Shea rising or falling?

Shea is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Shea become more popular?

Shea looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 211 girls named Shea in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Shea?

Well-known people named Shea include Shea Whigham (actor), Shea Weber (hockey player).

Names like Shea

Names that sound and feel close to Shea: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Shea with similar names → More names starting with S →