Total births
78,826
Girls' name · since 1921
Sheryl
78,826 babies named Sheryl in U.S. Social Security records since 1921, with the highest year being 1957. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5322
- among girls today
- 78,826
- born since 1921
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Sheryl is the #5322 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 78,826 recorded since 1921.
Sheryl has 78,826 recorded births among girls since 1921, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5322 as of the latest data, more common than 70% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1921 to 2025.
- #5322 among girls today
- 78,826 born since 1921
- 1950s peak decade
- 70% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sheryl is currently the #5322 girls' name in America, more common than 70% of girls - 78,826 born since 1921, peaking in the 1950s.
- #5322
- among girls today
- 78,826
- born since 1921
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other girls
Sheryl vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5322
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 70% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
39% of everyone ever named Sheryl was born in this single decade.
1957
Single peak year
4,133 babies were named Sheryl in 1957 - its busiest year on record.
How Sheryl compares
78,826 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Sheryl's all-time total is 206x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sheryl | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 78,826 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,133 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sheryl's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Sheryl's SSA record in two at 1974 and the more recent half accounts for 8% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 92%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1930, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1957 peak of 4,133, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Sheryl at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1957
Current rank
#5,322
Active since
1921
Sheryl popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1921–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 4,133
- Annual births at peak, across 105 years of records
Sheryl popularity over time - boys
200 total births recorded since 1932 (Sheryl as boys' name)
Sheryl by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Sheryl's strongest decade.
30,384 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Sheryl births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 61
1920s
61 births
- 1930s 527
1930s
527 births
- 1940s 10,713
1940s
10,713 births
- 1950s
1950s
30,384 births
- 1960s
1960s
26,058 births
- 1970s 7,356
1970s
7,356 births
- 1980s 2,273
1980s
2,273 births
- 1990s 749
1990s
749 births
- 2000s 361
2000s
361 births
- 2010s 243
2010s
243 births
- 2020s 101
2020s
101 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 30,384 births (39% of all-time use).
How Sheryl compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Sheryl's total volume
Sheryl vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sheryl by state
Where Sheryl concentrates geographically, total births since 1921
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 7,848 | 10.0% |
| #2 | Michigan | | 5,276 | 6.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 4,927 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 4,489 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Texas | | 4,419 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 4,255 | 5.4% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 2,961 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Iowa | | 2,878 | 3.7% |
California share of Sheryl's total US births 10.0%
Even split
7,848 of 78,826 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sheryl appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sheryl? ▼
Since 1921, Social Security records show 78,826 babies named Sheryl. Today it holds rank #5322 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1957, with 4,133 births.
When was Sheryl most popular? ▼
Sheryl was most popular in the 1950s decade with 30,384 total births. The single peak year was 1957.
Where is Sheryl most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sheryl are California (7,848 births), Michigan (5,276 births), New York (4,927 births).
How long has the name Sheryl been used? ▼
Records for Sheryl go back to 1921, giving 105 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Sheryl? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sheila, Sherry, Shelby, Shelly, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sheryl's data
- Sheryl's decade-level peak was the 1950s (30,384 total births); usage has since declined to 101 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Sheryls (7,848 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sheryl
Nearby Names Like Sheryl
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sheryl
Sheila Girl
#2013 238,774 births
Sherry Girl
#6948 229,937 births
Shelby Girl
#658 148,830 births
Shelly Girl
#4580 84,420 births
Sherri Girl
#8493 83,667 births
Compare Sheryl side by side: Sheryl vs Sheila Sheryl vs Sherry Sheryl vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sheryl
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1921–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sheryl: #5322 Girls' Name - 78,826 Births, Peak 1957." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sheryl. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Sheryl 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 June 2026.