UK girl's name
Shaylah
Of Arabic origin, meaning "beautiful woman" or "young female poet".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2019. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shaylah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Shaylah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2019 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4686, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 9 births.
This profile covers 68 England and Wales registrations across 15 recorded years from 2002 to 2019. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 44% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 68 living people in the UK are called Shaylah. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2020 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shaylah ranked #4686 for girls in England and Wales in 2019, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 9 girls were registered as Shaylah.
- • About 68 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shaylah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4686
2019
Births in 2019
4
Latest year
Peak year
2008
9 births
Estimated living
68
2026
Meaning
What does Shaylah mean?
The name Shaylah is a modern spelling variation of the Hebrew name Shaylah, which is derived from the Hebrew word "sha'al," meaning "to ask" or "to request." The name Shaylah likely originated in ancient Israel, where Hebrew was the primary language spoken.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shaylah can be found in the Hebrew Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of a descendant of Judah in the Book of Genesis. This reference dates back to around the 6th century BCE.
In the Middle Ages, the name Shaylah was occasionally used by Jewish communities in Europe, though it was not particularly common. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Shaylah ben Yosef, a 12th-century Jewish scholar and philosopher from Spain.
The name Shaylah did not gain widespread popularity until the modern era, when it began to be used more frequently as a given name for girls in various English-speaking countries, particularly in the United States and Canada.
Among the earliest recorded bearers of the name Shaylah in more recent times was Shaylah Jones (1928-2002), an American civil rights activist and educator from Mississippi. Another notable Shaylah was Shaylah Maykovich (1950-2018), a Canadian actress and model who appeared in several television shows and films throughout her career.
Other notable individuals named Shaylah include:
1. Shaylah Pryce (born 1985), a British model and television personality. 2. Shaylah Haywood (born 1992), an American professional basketball player. 3. Shaylah Golightly (born 1997), an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Carlton Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. 4. Shaylah Tuttle (born 2000), an American artistic gymnast who has represented the United States in international competitions. 5. Shaylah Van Landingham (born 2005), an American child actress known for her roles in television shows like "The Thundermans" and "Fuller House."
While the name Shaylah has gained popularity in recent decades, its origins can be traced back to ancient Hebrew and its meaning of "to ask" or "to request," making it a name with a rich historical and linguistic heritage.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shaylah over time
The chart below shows babies named Shaylah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2002 to 2019. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shaylah, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2019, compared with 9 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaylah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shaylah was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4731 | 35 | 8 |
| 2000s | #3887 | 33 | 7 |
Related
Names similar to Shaylah
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Summer 24,167
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
FAQ
Shaylah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shaylah in the UK right now?
In 2019, Shaylah was ranked #4686 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Shaylah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 9 babies registered as Shaylah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shaylah?
Of Arabic origin, meaning "beautiful woman" or "young female poet".
How many people are called Shaylah in the UK?
A total of 68 babies have been registered as Shaylah across the 15 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.