Shalea
A feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps derived from a French surname.
Name Census estimates that about 375 living Americans carry the first name Shalea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shalea today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shalea births was 1991 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shalea. 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
375
~ 1 in 914,012 Americans
Peak year
1991
22 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2010 SSA rank
#13,275
Tracked since 1972
Census
Shalea in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 332 people with the first name Shalea, which placed it at #27,518 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
#27,518
National first-name rank
People counted
332
332 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
44.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shalea
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shalea is Black at 44.3%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (9.0%). 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 Shalea 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 Shalea at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American44.3% · 147
- White37.0% · 123
- Two or more races9.0% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
Popularity
Shalea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shalea from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 156 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shalea 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 Shalea 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 Shalea
The given name Shalea is a unique and intriguing moniker, shrouded in a rich tapestry of linguistic and cultural origins. Its roots can be traced back to the ancient Celtic tribes that once inhabited the British Isles, particularly the region now known as Wales. Derived from the Welsh word "shâl," meaning "willow tree," this name carries a deep connection to the natural world and the reverence for the graceful, resilient willow.
In the annals of early Welsh literature, the name Shalea is mentioned in the Mabinogion, a collection of medieval Welsh tales and folklore. It is believed to have been the name of a minor character, a young maiden who played a pivotal role in one of the stories, although the specifics of her role have been lost to time. This early reference suggests that the name was in use among the Welsh people as early as the 11th or 12th century.
As the centuries passed, the name Shalea continued to be used, albeit infrequently, within Welsh communities. One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing this name was Shalea ap Rhys (c. 1520 - 1589), a minor nobleman who played a role in the Wars of the Roses, lending his support to the Lancastrian cause. Despite his relatively obscure status, Shalea ap Rhys's name has been preserved in local historical records, providing a glimpse into the name's usage during the Tudor period.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Shalea Gwynedd (1625 - 1697) gained recognition as a skilled herbalist and healer in the Welsh countryside. Her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and traditional remedies earned her a reputation that extended far beyond her humble village. Gwynedd's life and work were documented in a contemporaneous account, shedding light on the continued usage of the name Shalea among the Welsh people during this era.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Shalea found its way into the world of literature through the works of the Welsh poet and writer, Goronwy Owen (1723 - 1768). In his collection of poems, Owen immortalized a tragic love story featuring a character named Shalea, whose tale of unrequited love and heartbreak has since become a beloved part of Welsh literary tradition.
While the name Shalea may have originated in Wales, its unique charm and linguistic roots have allowed it to transcend geographic boundaries. In the 19th century, a notable figure named Shalea Barrington (1813 - 1879) emerged as a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in England. Barrington's tireless efforts to establish schools for underprivileged girls and promote educational opportunities for women earned her widespread recognition and respect during the Victorian era.
Throughout its long and storied history, the name Shalea has graced the lives of numerous individuals, each leaving their mark on the world in their own way. From the ancient Welsh tales to the modern era, this name has endured as a symbol of resilience, beauty, and connection to the natural world, a testament to the enduring power of linguistic and cultural traditions.
People
Shalea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shalea 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
Shalea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shalea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 375 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shalea 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 914,012 US residents.
Is Shalea a common name?
We classify Shalea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 389 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shalea most popular?
The single biggest year for Shalea was 1991, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shalea is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shalea in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 332 people with the name Shalea, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,518 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 Shalea 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 Shalea?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shalea appears almost entirely female. Of the 333 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Shalea?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shalea is Black at 44.3%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (9.0%). 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 Shalea most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shalea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.3% (147 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 Shalea in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shalea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shalea 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 Shalea still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shalea 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 Shalea 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 many people have Shalea as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.