Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2024

Shia

Gender Unisex · 33% girls Rank 2025 #1,360 Trend ↑ Rising 69%
Rank 2025
#1,360
among boys · ↓158 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
172
named Shia · -24% vs 2024
How common
1 in 12,377
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2024
225 babies
All-time total
3,348
#3,055 all-time among boys
First recorded
1960
in Social Security records

Shia popularity over time

3,348 babies have been named Shia since 1960, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – – – – – –
1960s – 5 5 1 – #4,523
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – 23 23 2 – #4,416
1990s 37 100 137 14 +496% #3,814
2000s 375 395 770 77 +462% #1,454
2010s 395 835 1,230 123 +60% #1,532
2020s (to 2025) 286 897 1,183 197 +60% #1,202

Where Shia is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 152 0.09 outside top 500
2027 164 0.10 outside top 500
2028 176 0.10 outside top 500
2029 186 0.11 outside top 500
2030 195 0.11 outside top 500

Where Shia is most popular

Boys named Shia per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.089 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, New Jersey, and California.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Shia 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New York 287 0.663 +646%
New Jersey 26 0.129 +45%
California 82 0.090 ≈ national
Virginia 17 0.090 ≈ national
Arizona 14 0.086 ≈ national
Illinois 16 0.063 -30%
Texas 51 0.058 -35%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -36%
Colorado 7 0.054 -39%
Florida 21 0.044 -50%
Tennessee 6 0.033 -63%
Michigan 5 0.024 -73%
Georgia 5 0.020 -78%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Shia

Shia is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,360 in 2025 with 138 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1960, 3,348 American babies have been named Shia, about 67% boys and 33% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2024, when 225 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Shia stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Shia?

The median living Shia is about 10 years old; half are between 4 and 16. An estimated 3,300 people named Shia are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

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

Shia 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 34 #4,258 138 #1,360
2024 54 #3,043 171 #1,202
2023 48 #3,377 159 #1,236
2022 50 #3,269 146 #1,305
2021 52 #3,153 153 #1,252
2020 48 #3,271 130 #1,367
2019 33 #4,329 85 #1,813
2018 43 #3,609 72 #2,027
2017 26 #5,167 99 #1,620
2016 35 #4,233 72 #2,006
2015 27 #5,108 73 #1,997
2014 37 #4,091 93 #1,667
2013 43 #3,637 71 #1,960
2012 33 #4,476 70 #2,014
2011 59 #2,940 104 #1,532
2010 59 #2,935 96 #1,635
2009 81 #2,392 115 #1,454
2008 88 #2,248 83 #1,799
2007 37 #4,200 40 #2,966
2006 27 #5,211 35 #3,146
2005 27 #4,942 31 #3,308
2004 33 #4,267 20 #4,390
2003 42 #3,460 25 #3,613
2002 19 #6,095 18 #4,468
2001 13 #8,127 15 #5,096
2000 8 #11,635 13 #5,536
1995 – – 8 #6,886
1990 – – 7 #7,065
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – 5 #4,523
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Shia

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

  1. 1 Shia LaBeouf Shia LaBeouf American actor (born 1986) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Shia?

The median living Shia is about 10 years old. Half of all living Shias are between 4 and 16 years old.

How many people named Shia are alive today?

An estimated 3,300 people named Shia are alive in the United States, based on 3,348 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Shia in 2025?

Shia ranked #1,360 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 138 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Shia?

3,348 babies have been named Shia in the United States since 1960, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Shia most popular?

Shia peaked in 2024, when 225 newborns received the name.

Is Shia a boy or girl name?

Shia is used for both: about 33% of babies named Shia have been girls and 67% boys.

Is the name Shia rising or falling?

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

Will Shia become more popular?

Shia is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 195 boys named Shia in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Shia?

Well-known people named Shia include Shia LaBeouf (actor).

Names like Shia

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

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