Sheila

An Irish form of Cecilia

Sheila is an English spelling of Irish Síle, which is the Irish form of Cecilia. Its name family reaches back to the Roman family name Caecilius and Latin caecus, meaning “blind.” The modern English sound is much shorter than Cecilia, with a soft opening sh and two clear syllables.

The route from Cecilia to Síle gives Sheila a distinct place within a large international family. Cecilia, Cecily, and Cicely are relatives, while Síle preserves the Irish spelling. Sheila writes the familiar pronunciation in a form that became widely recognizable in English-speaking countries.

A musical name family

Cecilia's history was strongly shaped by Saint Cecilia, the early Christian martyr later honored as the patron saint of music and musicians. Devotion to her helped the name spread through medieval Europe. Sheila shares that religious history through its Irish form.

The family developed differently across languages. Cecily was a common medieval English form, while Cecilia later became an established English choice as well. Sheila's connection is specifically through Síle, rather than a recent abbreviation made by removing letters from Cecilia.

Sheila E. and a life in rhythm

Drummer, percussionist, and singer Sheila E. was born Sheila Escovedo into a musical family in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her father, percussionist Pete Escovedo, was an early influence. She first performed publicly beside him as a young child, beginning a career that moved among funk, rhythm and blues, pop, jazz, and Latin music.

Her recordings brought her to a broad audience in the 1980s. The Glamorous Life received nominations at the 1985 Grammy Awards, and she was nominated for Best New Artist that year. The same awards also recognized her instrumental work with a nomination for Shortberry Strawcake.

Her later career continued across musical styles. At the 2025 Grammy Awards, Bemba Colorá, performed with Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar, won Best Global Music Performance. Her album Bailar was also nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album. These later recordings extend the association of Sheila with percussion and singing beyond the pop period that first made her widely known.

Pronunciation and spelling

English Sheila is pronounced SHEE-luh, with the stress on the first syllable. The ei spelling represents the long ee sound. Irish Síle has a closely corresponding pronunciation, with a more distinctly Irish sound to its l.

Sheila is normally used in full. Its final a and initial sh distinguish it in sound from Cecilia and Cecily, despite their shared history. The different spellings within the family offer a choice between an explicitly Irish form, an English spelling of that form, and the longer Latin-derived names.

Popularity in the United States

Sheila's largest annual American count for girls was 8,778 in 1962. Its best rank came the following year, at number 50 in 1963. It ranked number 1,708 in 2015 and number 1,605 in 2020. In 2025 it ranked number 2,686, with 65 births, making it much less common for babies than during its mid-century peak.

How popular is Sheila?

In 2025, Sheila ranked #2,686 among girls in the United States, with 65 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1907; its largest annual count was 8,778 in 1962. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.