Boys' name · since 1880
Sheppard
Sheppard has 716 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #6,340 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,040 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 716
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Sheppard is the #3040 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 716 recorded since 1880.
Sheppard has 716 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3040 as of the latest data, more common than 78% 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 1880 to 2025.
- #6,340 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,040 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 716 born since 1880
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sheppard ranks #6,340 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,040 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 716 born since 1880, peaking in the 2020s.
- #6,340 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,040 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 716
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
Sheppard's 716 recorded births place it above 86.06% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by Texas.
How Sheppard compares
716 Top 37% higher than 63% 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
Sheppard's all-time total is 94% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sheppard | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 716 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 40 | 34 | 22,252 |
Sheppard's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sheppard splits its recorded history at 1960: 67% of all births land in the more recent half, 33% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 40 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sheppard popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 40
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sheppard by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (195 births, 27% of the file).
2020s was Sheppard's strongest decade.
195 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Sheppard births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1910s 36
1910s
36 births
- 1920s 51
1920s
51 births
- 1930s 30
1930s
30 births
- 1940s 40
1940s
40 births
- 1950s 74
1950s
74 births
- 1960s 26
1960s
26 births
- 1970s 24
1970s
24 births
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s 6
1990s
6 births
- 2000s 60
2000s
60 births
- 2010s
2010s
164 births
- 2020s
2020s
195 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 195 births (27% of all-time use).
How Sheppard 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 Sheppard's total volume
Sheppard by state
Where Sheppard concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 25 | 3.5% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 6 | 0.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 5 | 0.7% |
25 of 716 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sheppard? ▼
Where does Sheppard sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sheppard most popular? ▼
Where is Sheppard most popular? ▼
How long has the name Sheppard been used? ▼
What names are similar to Sheppard? ▼
What to do with Sheppard's data
- Texas records the most Sheppards (25 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 Sheppard
Nearby Names Like Sheppard
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sheppard
Compare Sheppard side by side: Sheppard vs Sherman Sheppard vs Sheldon Sheppard vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sheppard
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sheppard: 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 (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Sheppard 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.