Sheila Brennan
There are approximately 27 people named Sheila Brennan living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 12,694,605 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Sheila with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Brennan. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
27
1 in 12,694,605
Named Sheila
172K
Alive today
Named Brennan
55K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 172K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1962
Average age: 62
Top Census group: White (72.0%)
Estimated bearers: 55K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #697
Per 100K: 15.99
Top ancestry: White (91.7%)
First name trend
Sheila: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Sheila. The peak year was 1962 with 8,806 births. The average person named Sheila today is 62 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheila
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Sheila, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 72.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sheila described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Sheila at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White72.0% · 145,471
- Black or African American16.6% · 33,536
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 11,004
- Two or more races2.7% · 5,537
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 5,000
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,613
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Brennan surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Brennan, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 91.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Brennan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Brennan at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White91.7% · 43,833
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,631
- Two or more races2.9% · 1,390
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 430
- Black or African American0.9% · 421
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 101
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Sheila has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0501% of the US population, based on 171,601 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Sheila right now.
The surname Brennan appears at a rate of 15.99 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0160%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 27 people with the full name Sheila Brennan. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Sheila
Related
Other people with the surname Brennan
FAQ
Sheila Brennan: questions and answers
How many people are named Sheila Brennan?
We estimate approximately 27 people in the United States share the full name Sheila Brennan. That works out to about 1 in 12,694,605 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0501%) with the surname frequency (15.99 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Sheila Brennan?
We classify Sheila Brennan as "Very Rare". About 1 in 12,694,605 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Sheila a male or female name?
Sheila is predominantly female. Out of 239,354 total SSA registrations, 0.3% were male and 99.7% were female. See the full Sheila profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people have the full name Sheila Brennan?
Find out how many people are called Sheila Brennan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.