NamesPop

Seila

A girl's name with 74 recorded U.S. births.

Girl's name#11944 in 2024Rising fast

Meaning & Origin

definite plural of seil

Seila is a girl's baby name of Basque origin, the Basque form of Cecilia — from the Latin Caecilia, the feminine form of the Roman family name Caecilius, possibly from caecus ('blind'). Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of music and musicians, martyred in Rome in the 2nd or 3rd century, whose music-while-dying became one of the most powerful images of Christian martyrdom.

Seila carries Saint Cecilia's musical legacy in the specific phonetics of the Basque language — the ancient Pyrenean tongue giving one of Christianity's most beloved saints' names its own distinctive form, carrying the patron of musicians' heritage with the specific beauty of Euskara's sounds.

EtymologyShow more

In the American context, Seila is a girl's name with a focused stretch of recorded use (19982024). American naming is uniquely syncretic — it borrows from dozens of traditions, invents freely, and recombines elements in ways that make strict etymological tracing difficult for many names.

Today, Seila is an active part of the American naming landscape (ranked #11944), continuing to accumulate its own cultural meaning with each new child who carries it.

At a Glance

74
Total births
Since 1998
2003
Peak
11 births
1998
First recorded
27 years of data
Compare Seila with another name

Popularity Over Time

Seila was #11458 twenty years ago and has since drifted to #11944, but its charm endures.

03681120002024
First appeared: 1998Peak: 2003 (11 births)Current: #11944

Popularity by Decade

Decade-by-decade popularity data for Seila
DecadeBirthsAvg RankTrend
2020s14#13412
2010s28#17171
2000s26#12761
1990s6#13789

The Story of Seila

A Gen Z name

Peaking in 2003, Seila is a name that defines a generation. Girls named Seila are most likely born between 1998 and 2013.

How rare is Seila?

Only about 1 in every 450,000 babies born in 2024 was named Seila — a truly uncommon choice.

The journey through the decades

First appeared in the records in 1998, peaked in the 2010s with 28 births that decade, and remains solidly popular today.

Seila by the numbers

  • Would fill 2 school buses

Year-by-Year Data

View complete yearly data(11 years, 19982024)
Year-by-year popularity data for the name Seila
YearBirthsRank
20248#11944
20236#14879
20186#15364
20156#16114
20135#18834
20125#19091
20116#16452
20076#17249
20049#11458
200311#9577
19986#13789

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Seila a boy's or girl's name?
Seila is primarily a girl's name.
When was Seila most popular?
Seila reached its peak popularity in 2003 with 11 births that year. It is currently ranked #11944 in the U.S.
How popular is the name Seila?
Seila is currently ranked #11944 in the U.S. (2024). It has been given to 74 babies since 1998.

Explore More

Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration, 19982024