Shayla
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "small and delicate".
Name Census estimates that about 29,851 living Americans carry the first name Shayla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shayla today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shayla births was 1999 (1,187 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shayla. 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
30K
~ 1 in 11,482 Americans
Peak year
1999
1,187 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2004 SSA rank
#1,815
Tracked since 1950
Gender
Gender distribution for Shayla
Out of the 30,834 babies given the name Shayla since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Shayla as a male name
- Ranked #9,780 in 2004
- 7 male births in 2004
- Peak: 2004 (7 births)
Shayla as a female name
- Ranked #1,815 in 2024
- 111 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1999 (1,187 births)
Popularity
Shayla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shayla from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 9,574 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
Shayla 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 Shayla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 50 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Shayla, while Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 571 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shayla
The name Shayla is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots traced back to the Middle Eastern region. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Shayala," which translates to "beautiful" or "lovely" in Arabic.
In the ancient Arabic tradition, names were often chosen for their symbolic meaning and significance. The name Shayla was likely bestowed upon newborn girls as a wish for them to grow up to embody beauty, grace, and charm.
While the name's origins can be traced back to the Arab world, it has gained popularity in various cultures and regions over time. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Shayla can be found in the Persian poetry of the 12th century, where it was used as a metaphor for feminine beauty and elegance.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Shayla. One of the earliest was Shayla al-Qurashiyya, a renowned Arabian poet who lived in the 7th century. Her poetic works celebrated the beauty of nature and the human spirit, reflecting the essence of her name.
In the 13th century, Shayla bint al-Husayn was a prominent Islamic scholar and theologian known for her contributions to the study of Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). Her legacy as a learned woman in a male-dominated field was a testament to her name's embodiment of strength and intellect.
Moving forward in time, Shayla Worra (1885-1962) was a pioneering Australian artist whose vibrant paintings captured the essence of the Australian landscape. Her name, though of Arabic origin, found its way into the cultural fabric of a distant land, reflecting the name's global appeal.
In the realm of literature, Shayla Black (born 1971) is a contemporary American author renowned for her best-selling erotic romance novels. Her name has become synonymous with the exploration of love, passion, and desire, adding a modern twist to the name's traditional connotations of beauty.
Lastly, Shayla Beesley (born 1997) is a rising star in the world of music, a British singer-songwriter whose soulful vocals and poetic lyrics have garnered critical acclaim. Her name serves as a testament to the enduring appeal and versatility of the name Shayla across generations and artistic disciplines.
People
Shayla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shayla 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
Shayla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shayla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 29,851 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shayla 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 11,482 US residents.
Is Shayla a common name?
We classify Shayla as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 30,834 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shayla most popular?
The single biggest year for Shayla was 1999, when 1,187 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shayla is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shayla a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Shayla 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.