Keri vs Shea
Keri and Sheacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2010, Keri was ranked #5707 and Shea #4688 among girls in England and Wales.
Keri and Shea over time
Keri and Shea appear together in 1 published list, across 15 years of shared records. Keri held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Shea in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Keri reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Shea in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Keri and Shea changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2010, ending at #5707 and #4688.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls15 shared years, 1996–2010
Keri held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Shea in 3.
Highest recorded here: Keri #643 in 1996, Shea #1728 in 2001.
The order changed in 2009: Shea moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #2292 and #3860; by 2009 that had become #4564 and #2148.
Most recent shared year, 2010: Keri #5707, Shea #4688.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Keri | Shea |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The Anglicized form of Séaghdha, occasionally used as a feminine name as well. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈʃeɪ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Sé, Séaghdha, Shay |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #894 (2013) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #125 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Shea has a recorded origin (Irish); Keri does not have one recorded yet.
- Keri has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Shea.
- A meaning is recorded for Shea; Keri doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
- The available evidence gives Keri a "medium" Data Confidence level and Shea a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Keri
Popularity journey
First recorded1987
First recorded at #488 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1987 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2006
Highest recorded position: #191 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1997–2006).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2013
Most recently recorded at #894 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2013.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Shea
Popularity journey
First recorded1976
First recorded at #316 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1976 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #25 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2007 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys