Given name
Shelagh
“one who is blind”
Shelagh is a variant of Sheila. In Irish use, Sheila carries the interpretation “one who is blind.”
Original IrishSíle
Meaning & origin
What it means
Shelagh is a variant of Sheila. In Irish use, Sheila carries the interpretation “one who is blind.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1942. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Shelagh through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 510
- 0 boys · 510 girls
- Most popular year
- 1950
- 22 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1999. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 752 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Shelagh’s family of names
Shelagh has a related form in Sheila. Shelagh has a related form in Sheelagh. Shelagh is an English adaptation of SfLE.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Shelagh
- Shelagh DelaneyEnglish dramatist and screenwriter (1938–2011)
- Shelagh DonohoeAmerican rowerborn 1965
- Shelagh FraserBritish actress (1920-2000)
- Shelagh RobertsBritish politician (1924-1992)
- Shelagh McLeodCanadian actressborn 1960
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Shelagh, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sheilagh
Sheilagh is a feminine given name from Irish.
>99% girls
Glenda
“one who is good and fair”
>99% girls
Noreen
“light”
>99% girls
Cathleen
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Gwynn
“a handsome man; one who is fair”
>99% girls
Kathleen
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Eileen
“a birdlike woman” · “a birdlike man”
>99% girls
Treacy
“one who is warlike”
>99% girls