Shayla
Shayla was the 1793rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 113 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 267th with 1,188 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 996 places. More babies were named Shayla in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it SHAY-luh /ˈʃeɪlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,793 girls, down 612 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 113girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19991,188 babies
- Total since 1880
- 30,950babies recorded
What does the name Shayla mean?
Shayla is a modern American name with no documented etymology; Wiktionary's entry requests one. It looks like a blend of the sounds of names such as Shay (Shea) and Sheila, or Kayla and Layla, but this is not recorded. Note that shayla is also an Arabic word for a type of headscarf, which is unrelated. Shayla was most popular in the US in the late 1990s.
How sure is this? Not documented. No documented origin; blends with Shay, Sheila, Kayla or Layla are guesses.
Related names: Shaylee, Sheila, Shay, Kayla, Layla.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Shayla', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Shayla', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Shayla popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 17 since 1985.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,793 | 113 |
| 2020 | #1,181 | 197 |
| 2010 | #445 | 694 |
| 2000 | #312 | 1,009 |
| 1990 | #337 | 799 |
| 1980 | #477 | 441 |
| 1970 | #2,298 | 34 |
| 1960 | #4,722 | 9 |
| 1950 | #5,988 | 5 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Shayla, counting every spelling?
Shayla is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,066 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,793 for Shayla on its own. Together these spellings went to 212 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shayla | 113 | #1,793 | 655 |
| Sheila | 65 | #2,686 | 506 |
| Shaila | 25 | #5,211 | 134 |
| Shaylah | — | — | 28 |
| Shaela | 9 | #10,785 | 25 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Shayla?
113 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Shayla (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Shayla born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 74 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Shayla.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Shayla?
About 30,300 people born in the US named Shayla are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 20 and 36. That makes Shayla mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Shayla by state
How common Shayla was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (2.4×), New York (1.5×). In 33 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Shayla: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Shayla, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Shayla · Sibling names for Shayla
Questions about the name Shayla
How popular is the name Shayla?
Shayla was the 1793rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 113 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 267th with 1,188 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 996 places. More babies were named Shayla in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Shayla a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Shayla in the US.
Where is Shayla most popular?
In 2021–2025, Shayla was most common in New Jersey (0.19 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and Massachusetts.