Sheily
A feminine name derived from an English surname, potentially meaning "from the bright meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 611 living Americans carry the first name Sheily. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sheily today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sheily births was 2023 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sheily. 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
611
~ 1 in 560,973 Americans
Peak year
2023
43 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,092
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Sheily: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sheily from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 237 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Sheily remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sheily 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 Sheily during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sheilys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Sheily, while New Jersey, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sheily
The name Sheily has its roots in the Arabic language and the Islamic culture. It is believed to have originated in the Middle East region during the medieval period, possibly around the 7th or 8th century AD. The name is derived from the Arabic word "Shail," which means a stream or a rivulet, symbolizing the flow of life and purity.
Sheily is a variation of the more common Arabic name Shailah, which has been mentioned in ancient Islamic texts and historical records. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of the renowned Islamic scholar and historian, Ibn Khaldun, who lived in the 14th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Sheily. One of the earliest known individuals was Sheily al-Kindi, a prominent Arab mathematician and philosopher who lived in the 9th century AD. She made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and was renowned for her work on the theory of numbers.
Another famous bearer of the name was Sheily al-Andalusi, a renowned Andalusian poet and scholar who lived in the 11th century AD. Her poetry explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, and she was celebrated for her mastery of the Arabic language and poetic form.
In the 13th century, Sheily al-Qurashi was a prominent Islamic jurist and scholar from Mecca. She was known for her expertise in Islamic law and her contributions to the study of the Qur'an and the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad).
During the Ottoman Empire, Sheily Hafiz was a celebrated calligrapher and artist who lived in the 16th century. Her intricate calligraphic works adorned many mosques and palaces, and she was highly regarded for her skill and dedication to the art form.
In more recent times, Sheily Bint Al-Qadhi was a pioneering Emirati poet and writer who lived in the 20th century. Her work explored themes of identity, culture, and the experiences of women in the Arab world. She is considered a influential figure in the literary landscape of the United Arab Emirates.
These are just a few examples of the notable individuals who have borne the name Sheily throughout history, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and significance across various fields and time periods.
People
Sheily + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sheily 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
Sheily: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sheily?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 611 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sheily 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 560,973 US residents.
Is Sheily a common name?
We classify Sheily as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 618 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sheily most popular?
The single biggest year for Sheily was 2023, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sheily is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sheily a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sheily 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.