Sheila?

Curious what associations people have with [name_f]Sheila[/name_f]?

I’ve only known one and she must now be old or gone.

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I feel like Australia should have a lot of Sheilas :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:. I think its a fun name!

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There is that great [name_m]Tommy[/name_m] [name_m]Rowe[/name_m] ([name_f]Roe[/name_f]?) song that goes “Sweet [name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_f]Sheila[/name_f]”.

I’m realizing I have two small positive private associations with the name.

The rose, [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] MacQueen, which is almost impossible to graft and is very rare. It’s little cups of apricot edged with palest fairy green. [name_f]Lovely[/name_f].

And the vintage Irish mystery writer, [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] [name_u]Pim[/name_u], who wrote charming Irish gardening mysteries.

My friend’s mom is called [name_f]Sheila[/name_f], that’s my main association. She’s probably in her 50s?

I also think of a character from Call The Midwife, who pronounces her name the same but spells it Shelagh (which I’ve only seen twice- as the character’s name and in the credits of an episode of Great British Bake Off. I assume it is (or was) more common in the UK than the US)

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My grandmother is called Sheilda but she is often mistaken as [name_f]Sheila[/name_f]. She is currently in her early 60’s

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Never heard Sheilda before! Is it Irish?

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I don’t know actually! I think it was an invented name my great-grandmother came up with. I like the creativity in it though

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Yes!

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My first thought is [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] Birling from JB [name_m]Priestley[/name_m]’s play An Inspector Calls. It’s an excellent play - and she’s the best character - but even seeing it there on a young woman, it’s not quite ready for revival yet.

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I’ll look up the play, thanks!

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Sheila feels a bit dated to me, but I did have a very lovely swimming teacher called [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] so that’s my main association

I think it’s a very pretty name! It’s definitely a bit dated to the baby boomer generation, but I know a [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] who’s about thirty and it works on her, so why not on someone even younger?

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I hear you. I can see it being an older name, but I can also imagine someone quite mod being called [name_f]Sheila[/name_f].

It simultaneously feels dated and ready for revival. It’s so sweet and lovely!

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I saw a girl in her 20’s named [name_f]Sheila[/name_f] once, so I can imagine it on a young person. I think it’s really pretty and sweet!

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There is a Shelagh [name_m]Turner[/name_m] in Call the Midwife, it’s a different spelling but that is always my first association.

@hellobanjo is right about Australia having lots of Sheilas, lol!
‘[name_f]Sheila[/name_f]’ is a slang term for girls/women in Australia. It’s not really used that commonly anymore, because it’s a little bit outdated (so like crikey)

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My little brother went to primary school with a Vietnamese girl called Sheela shes such a sweet girl and her mum runs the nail shop I go too so I see her from time to time. Sheela is 16 now really lovely and as are her family. So even though it’s not the same spelling that’s the association I have with this name.

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There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s dated (in my perception). I do like the Spanish pronunciation SHAY-la more. The Irish/English pronunciation sounds a bit more shrill to me.

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