Sheya
A Persian name meaning "precious gift" or "valuable present."
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Sheya. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sheya today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sheya births was 2010 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sheya. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Sheya with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sheya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2010
5 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2016 SSA rank
#13,890
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Sheya: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sheya 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 Sheya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Geography
Where Sheyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sheya
The name Sheya is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Shiya," which means "cool" or "pleasing." The name is thought to have emerged during the Vedic period, which spanned from approximately 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Sheya can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, one of the oldest and most revered texts in Hinduism, there is a reference to a sage named Sheya who was renowned for his wisdom and spiritual teachings.
During the Maurya Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from 322 BCE to 185 BCE, there was a prominent military commander named Sheya. He played a crucial role in the expansion of the empire under the reign of Chandragupta Maurya.
In the 9th century CE, there was a celebrated poet and scholar from the region of present-day Rajasthan named Sheya Thakur. His works were widely acclaimed for their literary merit and philosophical insights.
In the 14th century, a Sufi mystic and spiritual leader named Sheya al-Din was born in the city of Multan, which is now part of modern-day Pakistan. He was known for his teachings on love, tolerance, and the pursuit of inner peace.
Another notable figure in history with the name Sheya was a Buddhist monk who lived in the 16th century in the region of present-day Nepal. He was revered for his mastery of meditation and his contributions to the preservation of ancient Buddhist texts.
While the name Sheya has its roots in ancient India, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Indian diaspora populations. However, its historical significance remains deeply rooted in the rich cultural and spiritual traditions of the Indian subcontinent.
People
Sheya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sheya 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
Sheya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sheya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sheya 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Sheya a common name?
We classify Sheya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sheya most popular?
The single biggest year for Sheya was 2010, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sheya is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Sheya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sheya a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sheya in the SSA data are male. 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 Sheya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sheya 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 Sheya 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Sheya?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.