Shayleen
Feminine English name representing a fusion of "Shay" and "Leen".
Name Census estimates that about 501 living Americans carry the first name Shayleen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shayleen today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shayleen births was 1992 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shayleen. 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
501
~ 1 in 684,140 Americans
Peak year
1992
23 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,967
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Shayleen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shayleen from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 155 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
Shayleen 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 Shayleen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shayleens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shayleen
The name Shayleen is of English origin, derived from the combination of the elements "shay" and "leen." The element "shay" is a variant spelling of the French "chèr," meaning "beloved" or "dear." The element "leen" is derived from the Old English "lēan," meaning "meadow" or "field." Therefore, the name Shayleen can be interpreted as "beloved meadow" or "dear field."
The earliest recorded use of the name Shayleen dates back to the late 19th century in England. It was likely created as a feminine variant of the male name Shayler, which itself was a derivative of the Old English name Scealere, meaning "shearer" or "one who shears sheep."
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Shayleen was Shayleen Woodward, a British author and playwright born in 1882. She was known for her works of fiction and non-fiction, including the novel "The Wayward Wind" and the play "The Garden of Delight."
Another notable Shayleen was Shayleen Meredith, a British sculptor born in 1912. Her works were widely exhibited throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, and she was celebrated for her innovative use of materials and her exploration of abstract forms.
In the realm of music, Shayleen Fairchild was an American jazz singer and songwriter active in the 1940s and 1950s. She was known for her unique vocal style and her collaborations with renowned musicians of the time.
Shayleen Riviera, born in 1935, was a Mexican-American activist who played a crucial role in the Chicano civil rights movement. She was a prominent figure in the fight for educational equality and advocated for bilingual education programs in schools.
Lastly, Shayleen Keller was a German-born American scientist who made significant contributions to the field of genetics. Born in 1920, she conducted groundbreaking research on genetic mutations and their effects on various organisms.
While the name Shayleen has historical roots and notable individuals associated with it, it remains a relatively uncommon name in modern times. The unique combination of its elements and its melodic sound have contributed to its enduring appeal as a distinctive and meaningful choice for parents seeking a name with both richness and rarity.
People
Shayleen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shayleen 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
Shayleen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shayleen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 501 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shayleen 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 684,140 US residents.
Is Shayleen a common name?
We classify Shayleen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 519 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shayleen most popular?
The single biggest year for Shayleen was 1992, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shayleen is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shayleen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shayleen 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.