Sheila

Sheila is an English spelling of Irish Síle, the Irish form of Cecilia. Cecilia comes through the Roman family name Caecilius, traditionally connected with a Latin word meaning blind. That is an account of the name's linguistic history, not a description attached to the person who bears it.

The wider Cecilia family also carries the association of Saint Cecilia, traditionally regarded as the patron saint of music. Sheila developed its own identity in English-speaking use, particularly among the familiar Irish-derived names of the twentieth century. Síle keeps the Irish spelling, while Sheelagh offers another English rendering. Together they show how one name family can look quite different as its sound is written for different languages.