Sheldon
Sheldon was given to 46 boys in 2025, #2,787 among boys’ names; 37,172 Americans have been recorded with it since 1881 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 23,900 Americans named Sheldon and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (64% of everyone recorded); the median is 45 years old and half are between 30 and 63.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Sheldon by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Sheldon mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Sheldon is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the senses “shelf” (scylf) and “hill” (dūn) and “valley” (denu).
From Old English scylf (“shelf”) + dūn (“hill”) or denu (“valley”).
/ˈʃɛldən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Sheldon?
#2,787 among boys’ names, 2025
Sheldon fell from #1,281 in 2015 to #2,787 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 73.0 to 26.9 per million.
624 babies in 1992, the peak
Sheldon peaked in 1992, when 624 babies were given it (608 boys, #380 among boys’ names). The 46 births of 2025 are 7% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 46 | #2,787 | 0.03 |
| 2024 | 81 | #1,953 | 0.05 |
| 2023 | 60 | #2,338 | 0.04 |
| 2022 | 68 | #2,163 | 0.04 |
| 2021 | 72 | #2,053 | 0.04 |
| 2020 | 79 | #1,891 | 0.05 |
| 2019 | 110 | #1,541 | 0.06 |
| 2018 | 126 | #1,399 | 0.07 |
| 2017 | 134 | #1,339 | 0.07 |
| 2016 | 131 | #1,364 | 0.07 |
Every recorded year (138)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 140 | #1,281 | 0.07 |
| 2014 | 166 | #1,145 | 0.09 |
| 2013 | 180 | #1,055 | 0.10 |
| 2012 | 216 | #945 | 0.11 |
| 2011 | 176 | #1,069 | 0.09 |
| 2010 | 200 | #987 | 0.10 |
| 2009 | 189 | #1,031 | 0.10 |
| 2008 | 211 | #952 | 0.10 |
| 2007 | 206 | #957 | 0.10 |
| 2006 | 242 | #842 | 0.12 |
| 2005 | 257 | #773 | 0.13 |
| 2004 | 239 | #762 | 0.12 |
| 2003 | 230 | #768 | 0.12 |
| 2002 | 265 | #688 | 0.14 |
| 2001 | 329 | #601 | 0.17 |
| 2000 | 301 | #623 | 0.15 |
| 1999 | 363 | #553 | 0.19 |
| 1998 | 401 | #520 | 0.21 |
| 1997 | 454 | #475 | 0.24 |
| 1996 | 460 | #476 | 0.24 |
| 1995 | 493 | #459 | 0.26 |
| 1994 | 520 | #438 | 0.27 |
| 1993 | 490 | #446 | 0.25 |
| 1992 | 608 | #380 | 0.30 |
| 1991 | 547 | #415 | 0.27 |
| 1990 | 501 | #440 | 0.24 |
| 1989 | 391 | #485 | 0.20 |
| 1988 | 387 | #462 | 0.20 |
| 1987 | 367 | #462 | 0.20 |
| 1986 | 352 | #464 | 0.19 |
| 1985 | 326 | #481 | 0.18 |
| 1984 | 305 | #479 | 0.17 |
| 1983 | 294 | #491 | 0.16 |
| 1982 | 274 | #513 | 0.15 |
| 1981 | 323 | #463 | 0.18 |
| 1980 | 321 | #469 | 0.18 |
| 1979 | 322 | #452 | 0.19 |
| 1978 | 316 | #449 | 0.19 |
| 1977 | 339 | #430 | 0.21 |
| 1976 | 391 | #392 | 0.25 |
| 1975 | 368 | #399 | 0.24 |
| 1974 | 361 | #411 | 0.23 |
| 1973 | 338 | #426 | 0.22 |
| 1972 | 324 | #441 | 0.20 |
| 1971 | 382 | #412 | 0.22 |
| 1970 | 416 | #392 | 0.22 |
| 1969 | 408 | #391 | 0.23 |
| 1968 | 402 | #388 | 0.23 |
| 1967 | 390 | #383 | 0.22 |
| 1966 | 392 | #386 | 0.22 |
| 1965 | 396 | #393 | 0.21 |
| 1964 | 412 | #394 | 0.21 |
| 1963 | 398 | #404 | 0.20 |
| 1962 | 436 | #384 | 0.21 |
| 1961 | 408 | #394 | 0.19 |
| 1960 | 390 | #402 | 0.18 |
| 1959 | 377 | #409 | 0.18 |
| 1958 | 412 | #385 | 0.19 |
| 1957 | 425 | #374 | 0.20 |
| 1956 | 414 | #362 | 0.20 |
| 1955 | 353 | #383 | 0.17 |
| 1954 | 409 | #354 | 0.20 |
| 1953 | 323 | #390 | 0.16 |
| 1952 | 367 | #353 | 0.19 |
| 1951 | 320 | #379 | 0.17 |
| 1950 | 404 | #335 | 0.23 |
| 1949 | 377 | #345 | 0.21 |
| 1948 | 401 | #336 | 0.23 |
| 1947 | 429 | #333 | 0.23 |
| 1946 | 395 | #323 | 0.24 |
| 1945 | 368 | #309 | 0.27 |
| 1944 | 380 | #311 | 0.28 |
| 1943 | 458 | #286 | 0.32 |
| 1942 | 432 | #292 | 0.31 |
| 1941 | 414 | #284 | 0.34 |
| 1940 | 384 | #286 | 0.33 |
| 1939 | 374 | #285 | 0.34 |
| 1938 | 438 | #263 | 0.39 |
| 1937 | 437 | #257 | 0.41 |
| 1936 | 453 | #247 | 0.44 |
| 1935 | 465 | #249 | 0.45 |
| 1934 | 462 | #250 | 0.45 |
| 1933 | 429 | #252 | 0.43 |
| 1932 | 423 | #267 | 0.41 |
| 1931 | 410 | #273 | 0.39 |
| 1930 | 405 | #282 | 0.37 |
| 1929 | 403 | #276 | 0.37 |
| 1928 | 421 | #277 | 0.38 |
| 1927 | 370 | #302 | 0.33 |
| 1926 | 351 | #303 | 0.32 |
| 1925 | 323 | #318 | 0.29 |
| 1924 | 311 | #329 | 0.27 |
| 1923 | 243 | #381 | 0.22 |
| 1922 | 233 | #393 | 0.21 |
| 1921 | 223 | #407 | 0.20 |
| 1920 | 200 | #424 | 0.19 |
| 1919 | 198 | #417 | 0.20 |
| 1918 | 170 | #456 | 0.17 |
| 1917 | 147 | #473 | 0.16 |
| 1916 | 135 | #490 | 0.15 |
| 1915 | 125 | #496 | 0.15 |
| 1914 | 90 | #519 | 0.14 |
| 1913 | 59 | #572 | 0.12 |
| 1912 | 73 | #464 | 0.17 |
| 1911 | 25 | #623 | 0.11 |
| 1910 | 15 | #816 | 0.08 |
| 1909 | 17 | #675 | 0.10 |
| 1908 | 16 | #682 | 0.10 |
| 1907 | 15 | #695 | 0.10 |
| 1906 | 17 | #583 | 0.13 |
| 1905 | 5 | #1,402 | 0.04 |
| 1904 | 12 | #717 | 0.09 |
| 1903 | 10 | #773 | 0.08 |
| 1902 | 10 | #787 | 0.08 |
| 1901 | 11 | #676 | 0.10 |
| 1900 | 13 | #726 | 0.09 |
| 1899 | 5 | #1,181 | 0.05 |
| 1898 | 6 | #1,101 | 0.05 |
| 1897 | 7 | #927 | 0.06 |
| 1896 | 8 | #885 | 0.07 |
| 1894 | 6 | #1,062 | 0.05 |
| 1892 | 9 | #787 | 0.07 |
| 1889 | 6 | #960 | 0.05 |
| 1887 | 6 | #905 | 0.06 |
| 1886 | 5 | #1,085 | 0.05 |
| 1885 | 5 | #1,079 | 0.05 |
| 1884 | 7 | #834 | 0.06 |
| 1881 | 7 | #771 | 0.07 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Sheldon a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 37,172 Americans recorded as Sheldon, 1% are girls and 99% boys. In 2025 it went to 46 boys; SSA lists no girls with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Sheldon: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Sheldon, and how old are they?
23,900 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 64% of the 37,172 Americans ever recorded as Sheldon. The median Sheldon alive today is 45 years old; half are between 30 and 63.
The 2020 Census counted 25,589 people named Sheldon (385 women and girls, 25,204 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 25,739 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,450 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 4,990 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 5,280 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 6,520 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 4,260 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,380 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Sheldon born?
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 6 | #1,803 | 1.1× |
| California | 5 | #2,758 | 0.7× |
Where Sheldon is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Sheldon is most over-represented in Hawaii: since 1910 it was given 3.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Sheldon with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 37,452 babies since 1880, Sheldon is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 46 of their 46 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Sheldon
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
| Name | Recorded | 1880-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Florentino | 3,105 | |
| Narciso | 2,078 | |
| Candelario | 2,319 | |
| Isidoro | 1,292 | |
| Sherwin | 3,784 | |
| Kennard | 2,711 |
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Sheldon and names like it
- Compare Sheldon and SheldenBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1990sSheldon peaked in 1992.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Sheldon since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Sheldon: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1992The year the most babies were named Sheldon.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Sheldon alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with SMost given first.