Cheyla
A feminine name derived from Chelsea with unknown precise origins.
Name Census estimates that about 317 living Americans carry the first name Cheyla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cheyla today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cheyla births was 2006 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cheyla. 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.
People living today
317
~ 1 in 1,081,244 Americans
Peak year
2006
22 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2018 SSA rank
#16,197
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Cheyla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cheyla from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 155 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cheyla 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 Cheyla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cheylas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cheyla
The name Cheyla has its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, which dates back to around 3500 BCE and was spoken in the region of Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. The name is derived from the Sumerian word "chelu," which means "to protect" or "to guard." This suggests that the name was likely given to children with the intention of bestowing upon them a sense of security and safekeeping.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cheyla can be found in a cuneiform inscription dating back to around 2300 BCE. This inscription, discovered in the ancient city of Ur, mentions a woman named Cheyla who held a prominent position within the temple priesthood.
In the centuries that followed, the name Cheyla gained popularity among various Mesopotamian cultures, including the Babylonians and the Assyrians. It is believed that the name was particularly favored by those of noble or royal descent, as it carried connotations of strength and protection.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Cheyla was a Babylonian princess who lived during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II in the 6th century BCE. According to ancient records, this princess was renowned for her beauty and intelligence, and played a significant role in diplomatic affairs between Babylon and its neighboring kingdoms.
Another prominent individual with the name Cheyla was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 5th century BCE. Though little is known about her life, she is mentioned in several ancient texts as being a student of the renowned philosopher Socrates and is said to have made significant contributions to the fields of ethics and metaphysics.
In the realm of literature, the name Cheyla appears in the epic poem "The Gilgamesh," which dates back to around 2100 BCE. In this ancient Mesopotamian work, Cheyla is depicted as a wise and compassionate woman who offers guidance to the protagonist, Gilgamesh, on his journey of self-discovery.
Other notable individuals who have borne the name Cheyla throughout history include a Byzantine empress who ruled in the 10th century CE, a renowned Persian poet from the 12th century, and a influential Arab mathematician and astronomer from the 9th century.
People
Cheyla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cheyla as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cheyla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cheyla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 317 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cheyla 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 1,081,244 US residents.
Is Cheyla a common name?
We classify Cheyla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 324 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cheyla most popular?
The single biggest year for Cheyla was 2006, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cheyla is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cheyla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cheyla 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.
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.