Girls' name · since 1980
Sheng
Sheng has 370 recorded births since 1980 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1989 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #14,173 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 370
- born since 1980
- 1980s
- peak decade
Sheng sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 370 recorded since 1980.
Sheng has 370 recorded births among girls since 1980, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1980 to 2006.
- #14,173 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 370 born since 1980
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sheng ranks #14,173 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 370 born since 1980, peaking in the 1980s.
- #14,173 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 370
- born since 1980
- 1980s
- peak decade
Sheng's 370 recorded births place it above 80.4% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
Sheng's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sheng's full recorded timeline at 1993, 34% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 66% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2000, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1989 peak of 28 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sheng popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1980–2006
- Peak year (1989)
- 28
- Annual births at peak, across 27 years of records
Sheng popularity over time - boys
16 total births recorded since 1985 (Sheng as boys' name)
Sheng by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (172 births, 46% of the file).
1980s was Sheng's strongest decade.
172 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Sheng births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s
1980s
172 births
- 1990s
1990s
166 births
- 2000s 32
2000s
32 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 172 births (46% of all-time use).
Sheng by state
Where Sheng concentrates geographically, total births since 1980
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 163 | 44.1% |
| #2 | Minnesota | | 37 | 10.0% |
| #3 | Wisconsin | | 20 | 5.4% |
163 of 370 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Sheng's data
- Sheng's decade-level peak was the 1980s (172 total births); usage has since declined to 32 in the 2000s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Shengs (163 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 Sheng
Nearby Names Like Sheng
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sheng
Compare Sheng side by side: Sheng vs Sheila Sheng vs Sherry Sheng vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sheng: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1989)
Similar record span (~26 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, 1980–2006 (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 Sheng 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.