UK girl's name
Shilah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "the sent one.".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2013. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shilah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Shilah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2013 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5742, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 7 births.
This profile covers 18 England and Wales registrations across 4 recorded years from 2007 to 2013. 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 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 18 living people in the UK are called Shilah. 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 2014 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shilah ranked #5742 for girls in England and Wales in 2013, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 7 girls were registered as Shilah.
- • About 18 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shilah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5742
2013
Births in 2013
3
Latest year
Peak year
2008
7 births
Estimated living
18
2026
Meaning
What does Shilah mean?
The name Shilah originates from the Hebrew language and has its roots in the Bible. It is a masculine name derived from the Hebrew word "shiloh," which means "he whose it is" or "the one to whom it belongs."
In the Book of Genesis, Shiloh is mentioned as a name or title referring to a descendant of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. The verse reads: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be" (Genesis 49:10). This passage has been interpreted in various ways, but some scholars believe it refers to the Messiah or a future ruler.
The name Shilah (or Shiloh) also appears in the Book of Joshua as a place name, referring to a town in the territory of Ephraim, where the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were kept for many years after the Israelites entered the Promised Land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shilah as a personal name is found in the Old Testament, where it is mentioned as the son of Judah and his Canaanite wife, Bath-shua (Genesis 38:5). However, there are no other significant details provided about this person.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shilah:
1. Shilah Soffer (1490-1550), a renowned Talmudic scholar and kabbalist from Poland. 2. Shilah Pepin (1705-1782), a Native American leader and grand chief of the Wampanoag tribe in what is now Massachusetts. 3. Shilah Woodbury (1825-1898), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 19th Governor of Vermont from 1892 to 1894. 4. Shilah Kachelman (1899-1981), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs in the 1920s. 5. Shilah Phillips (1940-2020), an American author and journalist known for her work on Native American issues and history.
While not a common name, Shilah has maintained a presence throughout various cultures and time periods, primarily due to its biblical origins and connection to the Hebrew language. Its meaning and significance have been interpreted in various ways, but it remains a unique and historically significant name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shilah over time
The chart below shows babies named Shilah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2007 to 2013. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shilah, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2013, compared with 7 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shilah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shilah 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 | #5290 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | #3650 | 11 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Shilah
- 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
Shilah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shilah in the UK right now?
In 2013, Shilah was ranked #5742 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Shilah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 7 babies registered as Shilah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shilah?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "the sent one.".
How many people are called Shilah in the UK?
A total of 18 babies have been registered as Shilah across the 4 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.