Shae
Feminine · “stately”
Shae is given to both — 6,065 girls and 1,629 boys since 1880. See Shae as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Shae respells Shea, the Irish Ó Séaghdha — from a word meaning stately or hawk-like, depending on which reading you take.
How old is the name Shae?
Shae first appears in US birth records in 1951 — 74 years ago. The typical Shae alive today was born around 2000, making them about 25 years old. About 6,000 people named Shae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Shae most popular?
Shae peaked in 1998, reaching #921 nationally. Today it ranks #2051, 1,130 places below that high. See the whole 1998 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From séaghdha to Shae
The story of Shae
Ó Séaghdha was a Kerry sept, and English record-keeping produced Shea, O'Shea and Shay. The name crossed to America and became a given name for both sexes in the twentieth century. Shae is a modern respelling and appears in the American registers as a girls' name in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
stately, admirable
Through Shea, from the Irish Ó Séaghdha, built on séaghdha, generally read as 'stately', 'admirable' or 'fine'. A second reading connects it to a word for a hawk. The Irish surname is documented; the adjective's precise sense is not fully settled.
How the name formed
- séaghdha
- Ó Séaghdha
- Shea
- Shae
Related forms: Shea · Shay · Séaghdha
Pronouncing Shae
SHAY
One syllable. Shae, Shea and Shay are all homophones; only the spelling differs.
Nicknames for Shae
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1951
- Most girls named
- 1998227 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #921reached in 1998
- Change vs 2024
- +4.5%92 in 2025, from 88
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Shae in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Shea in English — spelling variant
- Shay in English — spelling variant
- Séaghdha in Irish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Illinois, New York.
Shaes among us
people named Shae are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 17,470 born in 2025 was named Shae
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Ardyce test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Shae's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Ardyce climbed just as high around 1936, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Ardyce's path sketches the road Shae is walking now.
Shae sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Shae is headed
Shae should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Shae beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Shae in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The stately meaning is a good one and the Kerry sept behind it is real.
- One syllable, clean, and never mispronounced.
- It works for both sexes without strain.
- At least three spellings of the sound are in circulation.
- The Irish adjective's precise sense is not settled.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Shae
Feminine · #2051 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Shaes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 6,000 people named Shae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Shae in 2025?
- Shae ranks #2051 among US girl names in 2025, with 92 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Shae?
- About 1 in every 17,470 US girls born in 2025 was named Shae — 92 in all.
- Will my child share the name Shae with classmates?
- Shae will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Shae
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Blythe#2051 · Marla#2051 · Star#2051 · Sade#2051 · Ryah#2051 · Jaylynn#2051 · Amya#2051 · Yvonne#2051
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Shae? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Shae and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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