Sile: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Síle is the Irish form of Cecilia. Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Síle
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Sheila, Sheela
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 608 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Sile?
Sile is pronounced SHE-la. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Sheelagh.
What does Sile mean?
Síle is the Irish form of Cecilia, which comes from the Roman family name Caecilius, from the Latin caecus, “blind.” The name spread through devotion to Saint Cecilia, an early Roman martyr honored as the patron saint of musicians.
The Anglo-Normans brought the name to Ireland, and it has been common there ever since. Its usual English forms are Sheila, Sheela and Sheelagh, and in older records Síle was also written as Cecily or Celia, or mistakenly turned into Julia. Well-known bearers include Síle de Valera, a Fianna Fáil TD and government minister and a granddaughter of Éamon de Valera.
Sources: Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Wikipedia.
How popular is Sile in Ireland?
In 2025, 5 baby girls in Ireland were named Síle, which made it No. 608 that year. That's up from No. 751 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1981, when 31 baby girls were named Sile, No. 195 that year. The records go back to 1964, when 3 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | No. 608 (Síle) |
| 2022 | 6 | No. 559 (Síle) |
| 2021 | 6 | No. 586 (Síle) |
| 2020 | 3 | No. 834 (Síle) |
| 2019 | 3 | No. 871 (Síle) |
| 2018 | 7 | No. 512 (Síle) |
| 2016 | 5 | No. 661 (Sile) |
| 2015 | 4 | No. 751 (Sile) |
| 2014 | 3 | No. 876 (Sile) |
| 2013 | 3 | No. 894 (Sile) |
| 2011 | 5 | No. 695 (Sile) |
| 2009 | 5 | No. 641 (Sile) |
| 2008 | 5 | No. 665 (Sile) |
| 2007 | 3 | No. 842 (Sile) |
| 2006 | 4 | No. 635 (Sile) |
| 2004 | 5 | No. 511 (Sile) |
| 2001 | 8 | No. 335 (Sile) |
| 1999 | 6 | No. 355 (Sile) |
| 1998 | 3 | No. 498 (Sile) |
| 1997 | 5 | No. 440 (Sile) |
| 1996 | 3 | No. 534 (Sile) |
| 1995 | 11 | No. 283 (Sile) |
| 1994 | 6 | No. 374 (Sile) |
| 1993 | 7 | No. 356 (Sile) |
| 1992 | 6 | No. 391 (Sile) |
| 1991 | 7 | No. 365 (Sile) |
| 1990 | 10 | No. 303 (Sile) |
| 1989 | 11 | No. 285 (Sile) |
| 1987 | 13 | No. 272 (Sile) |
| 1986 | 17 | No. 227 (Sile) |
| 1985 | 9 | No. 325 (Sile) |
| 1984 | 13 | No. 280 (Sile) |
| 1983 | 16 | No. 257 (Sile) |
| 1982 | 14 | No. 280 (Sile) |
| 1981 | 31 | No. 195 (Sile) |
| 1980 | 24 | No. 216 (Sile) |
| 1979 | 18 | No. 243 (Sile) |
| 1978 | 14 | No. 266 (Sile) |
| 1977 | 11 | No. 296 (Sile) |
| 1976 | 9 | No. 312 (Sile) |
| 1975 | 3 | No. 503 (Sile) |
| 1974 | 10 | No. 293 (Sile) |
| 1973 | 7 | No. 349 (Sile) |
| 1972 | 5 | No. 389 (Sile) |
| 1971 | 4 | No. 417 (Sile) |
| 1970 | 4 | No. 396 (Sile) |
| 1969 | 7 | No. 303 (Sile) |
| 1968 | 8 | No. 270 (Sile) |
| 1967 | 4 | No. 354 (Sile) |
| 1965 | 5 | No. 297 (Sile) |
| 1964 | 3 | No. 372 (Sile) |
Sile in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Sile, letter by letter.
- SSail, willow
- IIodhadh, yew
- LLuis, rowan
- EEadhadh, aspen
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Sile
Questions about Sile
- How do you pronounce Sile?
- Sile is pronounced SHE-la. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- Is Sile a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Sile is a girl's name.
- How do you spell Sile in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Síle. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- What is Sile in English?
- The English forms of Sile are Sheila and Sheela.
- How popular is Sile in Ireland?
- In 2025, Síle was No. 608 for girls in Ireland, with 5 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1981, at No. 195.