Boys' name · since 1881

Sheldon

Since 1881, U.S. Social Security records show 36,676 babies named Sheldon, peaking in 1992. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#595 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,767 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
36,676
born since 1881
1990s
peak decade

36,676 babies have been named Sheldon since 1881, making it today's #2767 boys' name.

Social Security Administration records show Sheldon recorded 36,676 times among boys since 1881, holding rank #2767 nationally today, ahead of 80% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.

  • #595 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,767 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 36,676 born since 1881
  • 1990s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sheldon ranks #595 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,767 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 36,676 born since 1881, peaking in the 1990s.

#595 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,767 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
36,676
born since 1881
1990s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%80.1%
Sheldon vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Sheldon's 36,676 recorded births place it above 98.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

49 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.

How Sheldon compares

36,676 Top 5% higher than 95% 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

Sheldon's all-time total is 99x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Sheldon Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 36,676 369 358,536
Peak-year births 608 34 22,252

Sheldon's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Sheldon's SSA record in two at 1957 and the more recent half accounts for 58% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 42%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1885, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1992 peak of 608, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Sheldon popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1992)
608
Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
0200400600800 188119061924194219601978199620142025 46

Sheldon popularity over time - girls

496 total births recorded since 1931 (Sheldon as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 496 births
0510152025 193119531964197119781986199320002002 8

Sheldon by decade

1990s is the heaviest window (4,837 births, 13% of the file).

1990s was Sheldon's strongest decade.

4,837 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.

Sheldon births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1990s at 4,837 births (13% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Sheldon 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 Sheldon's total volume

Sheldon vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 100110120130140150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -109, 6.9%-146, 2.3%-108, 5.1%-146, 1.5%-145, 5.2%-126, 6.6%-141, 2.7%-146, 1.3%-107, 5.2%-111, 3.6%-146, 2%-114, 2.9%-145, 3%-104, 2.7%-146, 2.5%Sheldon-145, 1.7%Sheldon
Sheldon vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Sheldon by state

Where Sheldon concentrates geographically, total births since 1881

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Sheldon
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
6,186 16.9%
#2 California
2,484 6.8%
#3 Pennsylvania
2,392 6.5%
#4 Illinois
2,202 6.0%
#5 Ohio
1,370 3.7%
#6 Texas
1,367 3.7%
#7 Michigan
1,351 3.7%
#8 Florida
1,209 3.3%
New York share of Sheldon's total US births 16.9%
Even split

6,186 of 36,676 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.

Sheldon appears in 49 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Sheldon? ▼
36,676 babies have been named Sheldon since 1881. All-time, it sits at #595 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,767 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1992 with 608 births.
Where does Sheldon sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sheldon ranks #595 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,767 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Sheldon most popular? ▼
Sheldon was most popular in the 1990s decade with 4,837 total births. The single peak year was 1992.
Where is Sheldon most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sheldon are New York (6,186 births), California (2,484 births), Pennsylvania (2,392 births).
How long has the name Sheldon been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Sheldon since 1881 -- 145 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Sheldon? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sherman, Shelby, Shelton, Shea, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Sheldon's data

  • Sheldon's decade-level peak was the 1990s (4,837 total births); usage has since declined to 406 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • New York records the most Sheldons (6,186 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Sheldon

Nearby Names Like Sheldon

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sheldon

Sherman Boy
#5045 39,190 births
Shelby Boy
#2992 16,449 births
Shelton Boy
#4710 11,973 births
Shea Boy
#1549 8,537 births
Shepherd Boy
#246 7,785 births

Compare Sheldon side by side: Sheldon vs Sherman Sheldon vs Shelby Sheldon vs Shelton

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Sheldon

Dwight #2766
78,587 births · Peak 1953
Weldon #2768
14,249 births · Peak 1920
Arch #2765
2,572 births · Peak 1880
Mills #2769
919 births · Peak 2025
Hendrixx #2764
486 births · Peak 2022
Britton #2770
6,337 births · Peak 2006
Evaan #2763
397 births · Peak 2019
Arlin #2771
4,072 births · Peak 1935

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Sheldon: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1881–2025 (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 Sheldon 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.