Girls' name · since 1909
Cheryl
439,539 babies named Cheryl in U.S. Social Security records since 1909, with the highest year being 1958. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #81 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,367 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 439,539
- born since 1909
- 1950s
- peak decade
439,539 babies have been named Cheryl since 1909, making it today's #4367 girls' name.
Cheryl has 439,539 recorded births among girls since 1909, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4367 as of the latest data, more common than 75% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1909 to 2025.
- #81 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,367 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 439,539 born since 1909
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cheryl ranks #81 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,367 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 439,539 born since 1909, peaking in the 1950s.
- #81 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,367 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 439,539
- born since 1909
- 1950s
- peak decade
Cheryl's 439,539 recorded births place it above 99.88% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Cheryl compares
439,539 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cheryl's all-time total is 1,169x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cheryl | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 439,539 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 24,119 | 21 | 19,840 |
Cheryl's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Cheryl's SSA record in two at 1969 and the more recent half accounts for 16% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 84%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1909, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1958 peak of 24,119, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Cheryl popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1909–2025
- Peak year (1958)
- 24,119
- Annual births at peak, across 117 years of records
Cheryl popularity over time - boys
978 total births recorded since 1939 (Cheryl as boys' name)
Cheryl by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (171,387 births, 39% of the file).
1950s was Cheryl's strongest decade.
171,387 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Cheryl births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 70
1910s
70 births
- 1920s 268
1920s
268 births
- 1930s 1,300
1930s
1,300 births
- 1940s
1940s
70,959 births
- 1950s
1950s
171,387 births
- 1960s
1960s
135,650 births
- 1970s 40,393
1970s
40,393 births
- 1980s 14,319
1980s
14,319 births
- 1990s 3,317
1990s
3,317 births
- 2000s 1,036
2000s
1,036 births
- 2010s 612
2010s
612 births
- 2020s 223
2020s
223 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 171,387 births (39% of all-time use).
How Cheryl compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Cheryl's total volume
Cheryl by state
Where Cheryl concentrates geographically, total births since 1909
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 37,195 | 8.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 31,621 | 7.2% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 29,459 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 26,521 | 6.0% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 25,853 | 5.9% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 25,845 | 5.9% |
| #7 | Texas | | 19,235 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 17,834 | 4.1% |
37,195 of 439,539 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Cheryl appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cheryl? ▼
Where does Cheryl sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cheryl most popular? ▼
Where is Cheryl most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cheryl been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cheryl? ▼
What to do with Cheryl's data
- Cheryl's decade-level peak was the 1950s (171,387 total births); usage has since declined to 223 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Cheryls (37,195 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cheryl
Nearby Names Like Cheryl
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cheryl
Compare Cheryl side by side: Cheryl vs Chelsea Cheryl vs Cheyenne Cheryl vs Cheri
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cheryl
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cheryl: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1958)
Similar record span (~116 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1909–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cheryl draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.