Total births
2,685
Boys' name · since 1963
Sharif
2,685 babies named Sharif in U.S. Social Security records since 1963, with the highest year being 1980. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5288
- among boys today
- 2,685
- born since 1963
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 63%
- more common than other boys
Sharif currently ranks #5288 among boys' names in America, with 2,685 babies recorded since 1963.
Sharif has 2,685 recorded births among boys since 1963, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5288 as of the latest data, more common than 63% 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 1963 to 2025.
- #5288 among boys today
- 2,685 born since 1963
- 1990s peak decade
- 63% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sharif is currently the #5288 boys' name in America, more common than 63% of boys - 2,685 born since 1963, peaking in the 1990s.
- #5288
- among boys today
- 2,685
- born since 1963
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 63%
- more common than other boys
Sharif vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#5288
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 63% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Sharif was born in this single decade.
1980
Single peak year
82 babies were named Sharif in 1980 - its busiest year on record.
How Sharif compares
2,685 Top 18% higher than 82% of 14,294 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
Sharif's all-time total is 7x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sharif | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,685 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 82 | 23 | 22,252 |
Sharif's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sharif splits its recorded history at 1996: 39% of all births land in the more recent half, 61% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1963 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1980 peak of 82 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sharif at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1980
Current rank
#5,288
Active since
1963
Sharif popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1963–2025
- Peak year (1980)
- 82
- Annual births at peak, across 63 years of records
Sharif popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 1970 (Sharif as girls' name)
Sharif by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Sharif's strongest decade.
679 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Sharif births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 41
1960s
41 births
- 1970s
1970s
538 births
- 1980s
1980s
643 births
- 1990s
1990s
679 births
- 2000s
2000s
436 births
- 2010s 249
2010s
249 births
- 2020s 99
2020s
99 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 679 births (25% of all-time use).
How Sharif 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 Sharif's total volume
Sharif vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Sharif by state
Where Sharif concentrates geographically, total births since 1963
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 657 | 24.5% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 358 | 13.3% |
| #3 | New Jersey | | 311 | 11.6% |
| #4 | California | | 142 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Texas | | 15 | 0.6% |
| #6 | Florida | | 7 | 0.3% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 6 | 0.2% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 5 | 0.2% |
New York share of Sharif's total US births 24.5%
Even split
657 of 2,685 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 10 reporting states.
Sharif appears in 10 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sharif? ▼
2,685 babies have been named Sharif since 1963. It currently ranks #5288 among boys. The peak year was 1980 with 82 births.
When was Sharif most popular? ▼
Sharif was most popular in the 1990s decade with 679 total births. The single peak year was 1980.
Where is Sharif most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sharif are New York (657 births), Pennsylvania (358 births), New Jersey (311 births).
How long has the name Sharif been used? ▼
Records for Sharif go back to 1963, giving 63 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Sharif? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Shawn, Shane, Shaun, Shannon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Sharif's data
- Sharif's decade-level peak was the 1990s (679 total births); usage has since declined to 99 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Sharifs (657 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sharif
Nearby Names Like Sharif
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sharif
Shawn Boy
#637 306,542 births
Shane Boy
#601 192,583 births
Shaun Boy
#1567 70,481 births
Shannon Boy
#2597 52,379 births
Shayne Boy
#4006 10,741 births
Compare Sharif side by side: Sharif vs Shawn Sharif vs Shane Sharif vs Shaun
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sharif
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1963–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sharif: #5288 Boys' Name - 2,685 Births, Peak 1980." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sharif. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Sharif 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 June 2026.