Sheilda
A feminine name of English origin meaning "She'll defend".
Name Census estimates that about 32 living Americans carry the first name Sheilda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sheilda today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sheilda births was 1956 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sheilda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Sheilda is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Sheildas were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sheilda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
32
~ 1 in 10,711,073 Americans
Peak year
1956
12 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1958 SSA rank
#5,996
Tracked since 1948
Popularity
Sheilda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sheilda from the 1940s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 34 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sheilda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sheilda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sheilda
The name Sheilda is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain. Its earliest known form was "Scylda," derived from the Old English word "scyld," which meant "shield" or "protection." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals who were perceived as protectors or defenders.
During the Middle Ages, the name underwent various spelling variations, including "Shylda," "Shilda," and "Sheilda." These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the evolving nature of the English language over time. The name's association with the concept of a shield or protection persisted throughout its evolution.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sheilda can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and population in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. In this document, a woman named Sheilda is mentioned as a landholder in the county of Lincolnshire.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sheilda. One of the most prominent was Sheilda of Anjou (1109-1153), a French noblewoman who played a significant role in the political and religious affairs of her time. She was instrumental in securing the throne for her son, Henry II, and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature.
Another historical figure was Sheilda de Valois (1293-1358), a member of the French royal family who served as the abbess of the prestigious Fontevraud Abbey in the 14th century. Her leadership and piety earned her widespread respect among her contemporaries.
In the realm of literature, Sheilda Bronte (1816-1855) was a notable English novelist and poet, best known for her semi-autobiographical novel "The Professor." Her works explored themes of societal constraints and the struggles of women in Victorian England.
The name Sheilda also gained prominence in the field of science with Sheilda Curie (1867-1934), a pioneering physicist and chemist who made groundbreaking contributions to the study of radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to be awarded the Nobel Prize twice.
Lastly, Sheilda Earhart (1897-1937), an American aviation pioneer and author, gained international fame for her daring solo flights across the Atlantic Ocean and her efforts to promote women's involvement in aviation. Her disappearance during an attempted round-the-world flight in 1937 remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in aviation history.
These individuals, spanning different eras and fields, have left an indelible mark on history and demonstrated the strength, resilience, and achievements associated with the name Sheilda.
People
Sheilda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sheilda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sheilda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sheilda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sheilda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 10,711,073 US residents.
Is Sheilda a common name?
We classify Sheilda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 48 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sheilda most popular?
The single biggest year for Sheilda was 1956, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sheilda is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sheilda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sheilda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sheilda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sheilda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sheilda in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sheilda can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Sheilda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.