Boys' name · since 1974
Shareef
Shareef has 1,196 recorded births since 1974 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1997 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,596 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,402 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,196
- born since 1974
- 1990s
- peak decade
1,196 babies have been named Shareef since 1974, making it today's #8402 boys' name.
Shareef has 1,196 recorded births among boys since 1974, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8402 as of the latest data, more common than 40% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1974 to 2025.
- #4,596 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #8,402 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,196 born since 1974
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shareef ranks #4,596 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,402 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,196 born since 1974, peaking in the 1990s.
- #4,596 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,402 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,196
- born since 1974
- 1990s
- peak decade
Shareef's 1,196 recorded births place it above 89.89% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by New Jersey.
How Shareef compares
1,196 Top 29% higher than 71% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Shareef's all-time total is 3x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shareef | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,196 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 53 | 34 | 22,252 |
Shareef's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shareef splits its recorded history at 2000: 41% of all births land in the more recent half, 59% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2024 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1997 peak of 53 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shareef popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1974–2025
- Peak year (1997)
- 53
- Annual births at peak, across 52 years of records
Shareef by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (314 births, 26% of the file).
1990s was Shareef's strongest decade.
314 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Shareef births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
147 births
- 1980s
1980s
242 births
- 1990s
1990s
314 births
- 2000s
2000s
267 births
- 2010s
2010s
160 births
- 2020s 66
2020s
66 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 314 births (26% of all-time use).
How Shareef compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Shareef's total volume
Shareef by state
Where Shareef concentrates geographically, total births since 1974
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New Jersey | | 110 | 9.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 106 | 8.9% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 102 | 8.5% |
| #4 | California | | 23 | 1.9% |
110 of 1,196 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shareef? ▼
Where does Shareef sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shareef most popular? ▼
Where is Shareef most popular? ▼
How long has the name Shareef been used? ▼
What names are similar to Shareef? ▼
What to do with Shareef's data
- Shareef's decade-level peak was the 1990s (314 total births); usage has since declined to 66 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New Jersey records the most Shareefs (110 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New Jersey names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shareef
Nearby Names Like Shareef
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shareef
Compare Shareef side by side: Shareef vs Shawn Shareef vs Shane Shareef vs Shaun
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shareef
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shareef: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1997)
Similar record span (~51 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, 1974–2025 (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 Shareef 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.