Shelda
A feminine name possibly based on a surname, of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 369 living Americans carry the first name Shelda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shelda today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shelda births was 1941 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shelda. 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 Shelda is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Sheldas were born before 1970.
People living today
369
~ 1 in 928,874 Americans
Peak year
1941
27 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1988 SSA rank
#13,558
Tracked since 1935
Census
Shelda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 615 people with the first name Shelda, which placed it at #17,751 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#17,751
National first-name rank
People counted
615
615 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shelda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shelda is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Shelda described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Shelda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.4% · 359
- Black or African American33.0% · 203
- Two or more races2.9% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 9
Popularity
Shelda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shelda from the 1930s through to the 1980s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 147 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shelda 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 Shelda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sheldas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shelda
The given name Shelda finds its origins in the Old English language, derived from the elements "scield" meaning "shield" and "hild" meaning "battle." It emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD, in the regions that are now modern-day England.
Shelda was a name primarily given to males in ancient times, reflecting the warrior culture of the Anglo-Saxons. The name carried connotations of bravery and protection, suggesting that the bearer was a formidable shieldbearer in battle.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shelda was a Saxon chieftain who lived in the 6th century AD. He is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of the times, as leading a group of warriors in a skirmish against rival tribes.
In the 9th century, a Shelda is listed among the thanes (noblemen) of King Alfred the Great of Wessex. This Shelda is believed to have been a trusted advisor and military commander, playing a role in Alfred's victories against the Danish invaders.
Another notable Shelda was a monk who lived in the 11th century at the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England. He is known for his illuminated manuscripts, which featured intricate illustrations and calligraphy.
During the Middle Ages, the name Shelda fell out of widespread use, but it resurfaced intermittently throughout history. In the 16th century, a Shelda is mentioned in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Ipswich, England, as the father of a newborn child.
In more recent times, Shelda Wilkinson (1901-1991) was a notable figure. She was a British author and historian who wrote extensively about the Anglo-Saxon period, shedding light on the cultural significance of names like Shelda.
While the name Shelda is relatively uncommon today, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English nomenclature, serving as a reminder of the valor and resilience of the ancient Anglo-Saxon warriors.
People
Shelda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shelda 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
Shelda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shelda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 369 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shelda 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 928,874 US residents.
Is Shelda a common name?
We classify Shelda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 569 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shelda most popular?
The single biggest year for Shelda was 1941, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shelda is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shelda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 615 people with the name Shelda, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,751 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Shelda in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Shelda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shelda appears almost entirely female. Of the 611 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Shelda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shelda is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Shelda most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Shelda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.4% (359 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Shelda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shelda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shelda 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 Shelda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shelda 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 Shelda 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.
How common is the name Shelda?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Shelda at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.