Boys' name · since 1886
Shepherd
Shepherd has 7,785 recorded births since 1886 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,392 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #246 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,785
- born since 1886
- 2020s
- peak decade
7,785 babies have been named Shepherd since 1886, making it today's #246 boys' name.
Shepherd has 7,785 recorded births among boys since 1886, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #246 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1886 to 2025.
- #1,392 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #246 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 7,785 born since 1886
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shepherd ranks #1,392 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #246 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 7,785 born since 1886, peaking in the 2020s.
- #1,392 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #246 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,785
- born since 1886
- 2020s
- peak decade
Shepherd's 7,785 recorded births place it above 96.93% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Shepherd compares
7,785 Top 10% higher than 90% 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
Shepherd's all-time total is 21x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shepherd | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,785 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,408 | 34 | 22,252 |
Shepherd's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shepherd splits its recorded history at 1965: 96% of all births land in the more recent half, 4% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1886 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 1,408 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shepherd popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1886–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 1,408
- Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
Shepherd popularity over time - girls
30 total births recorded since 2011 (Shepherd as girls' name)
Shepherd by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (4,936 births, 63% of the file).
2020s was Shepherd's strongest decade.
4,936 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 63% of all-time use.
Shepherd births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 16
1880s
16 births
- 1910s 61
1910s
61 births
- 1920s 90
1920s
90 births
- 1930s 25
1930s
25 births
- 1940s 64
1940s
64 births
- 1950s 55
1950s
55 births
- 1960s 60
1960s
60 births
- 1970s 48
1970s
48 births
- 1980s 15
1980s
15 births
- 1990s 57
1990s
57 births
- 2000s 289
2000s
289 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,069 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,936 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 4,936 births (63% of all-time use).
How Shepherd 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 Shepherd's total volume
Shepherd by state
Where Shepherd concentrates geographically, total births since 1886
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,050 | 13.5% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 445 | 5.7% |
| #3 | Tennessee | | 434 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 392 | 5.0% |
| #5 | California | | 361 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Alabama | | 307 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Florida | | 256 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 232 | 3.0% |
1,050 of 7,785 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Shepherd appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shepherd? ▼
Where does Shepherd sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shepherd most popular? ▼
Where is Shepherd most popular? ▼
How long has the name Shepherd been used? ▼
What names are similar to Shepherd? ▼
What to do with Shepherd's data
- Texas records the most Shepherds (1,050 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shepherd
Nearby Names Like Shepherd
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shepherd
Compare Shepherd side by side: Shepherd vs Sherman Shepherd vs Sheldon Shepherd vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shepherd
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shepherd: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~139 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, 1886–2025 (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 Shepherd 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.