Head to head · Boys' names
Shepherd vs Simon
#246 vs #230 in 2025
Simon is a whisker ahead (#230 vs #246 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Simon is holding its place on the charts, Shepherd is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Shepherd has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Simon leads 5 measures of 6; Shepherd leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Shepherd #936, Simon #161 — Simon higher
- 1890s: Shepherd —, Simon #197 — Simon higher
- 1900s: Shepherd —, Simon #219 — Simon higher
- 1910s: Shepherd #2788, Simon #251 — Simon higher
- 1920s: Shepherd #2809, Simon #321 — Simon higher
- 1930s: Shepherd #3277, Simon #383 — Simon higher
- 1940s: Shepherd #3083, Simon #433 — Simon higher
- 1950s: Shepherd #3091, Simon #501 — Simon higher
- 1960s: Shepherd #3291, Simon #525 — Simon higher
- 1970s: Shepherd #4343, Simon #421 — Simon higher
- 1980s: Shepherd #5309, Simon #355 — Simon higher
- 1990s: Shepherd #6716, Simon #341 — Simon higher
- 2000s: Shepherd #4926, Simon #252 — Simon higher
- 2010s: Shepherd #1151, Simon #247 — Simon higher
- 2020s: Shepherd #429, Simon #245 — Simon higher
Simon stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Shepherd | Simon |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #936 | #161 |
| 1890s | — | #197 |
| 1900s | — | #219 |
| 1910s | #2788 | #251 |
| 1920s | #2809 | #321 |
| 1930s | #3277 | #383 |
| 1940s | #3083 | #433 |
| 1950s | #3091 | #501 |
| 1960s | #3291 | #525 |
| 1970s | #4343 | #421 |
| 1980s | #5309 | #355 |
| 1990s | #6716 | #341 |
| 2000s | #4926 | #252 |
| 2010s | #1151 | #247 |
| 2020s | #429 | #245 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Shepherd
Not charting outside the US.
Simon
- France#50
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Shepherd
sheep herder
From Old English sceap, 'sheep', plus hierde, 'herdsman'.
sceaphierde (Old English) → schepherde (Middle English) → Shepherd (English surname) → Shepherd (given name)
How it traveled
The word is Old English, and the occupation was everywhere, so when English speakers began taking surnames from trades in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Shepherd and its variants attached themselves to families across the country. It crossed to North America with those families and settled into the long American habit of moving surnames to the front — the same road traveled by Mason, Carter and Cooper.
Simon
he has heard, or listening
The Hebrew source is Shim'on, from a root meaning to hear or listen. Worth knowing: an unrelated Greek name Simon already existed, from a word meaning snub-nosed, and the two collided in the Greek-speaking world. The Hebrew line is the one that carried the name onward.
Shim'on → Symeon → Simon (Greek) → Simon (Latin) → Simon
How it traveled
The name begins as the Hebrew Shim'on, which the Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible rendered as Symeon. In the Greek of the New Testament it appears in the trimmer form Simon, and because it belonged to several prominent figures there, it traveled wherever those texts traveled.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Shepherd
SHEP-erd
Two syllables, stress on the first. The middle h is silent — nobody says shep-HERD.
- Shep — The standard short form, long established in English and used on its own as a nickname for men and boys named Shepherd or Shepard.
- Sheppy — Informal, mostly used by family in the early years.
- Shepp — An informal spelling of Shep, sometimes preferred where the surname spelling has the double p.
Simon
SY-mun
Stress on the first syllable in English. French speakers say it roughly see-MOHN, and the Italian Simone is three syllables, see-MOH-nay — a masculine name there, unlike the French feminine Simone.
- Si — The oldest and most common short form in English, informal, used within families more than in writing.
- Sim — An informal clipping with a long history in English; also survives as a surname element.
- Simmy — Affectionate and mostly used with young children.
- Simo — Heard chiefly in British and Australian informal speech, often among friends and teammates.
Who has carried each name
Shepherd
No documented entry for Shepherd yet.
Simon
Simon Cowell (b. 1959) — American Idol's famously blunt judge
Simon Pegg (b. 1970) — Shaun of the Dead star
Simon Wiesenthal (b. 1908) — Holocaust survivor who spent his life bringing war criminals to justice
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Shepherd if you want…
- a name fewer children share#246 in 2025 — shepherd will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name on the way upup 348 places on the charts in five years
- a newer arrivalShepherd entered the US charts in 1886
- a name that feels very nowShepherd is climbing the charts fast
Choose Simon if you want…
- a name most people already know#230 in 2025, 1,529 babies that year
- a name holding steadySimon is holding its place on the charts
- a name that charts abroad tooSimon is on the national lists of France
- a long American recordSimon was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Shepherd
Strengths
- Everyone can read it on sight and say it correctly the first time, because it is an ordinary English word.
- Shep is a ready, established short form, so the name comes with a casual version built in.
- A very long record in English as a surname, which makes it familiar to the ear even where it is rare as a first name.
To consider
- Three spellings compete — Shepherd, Shepard and Sheppard — and the silent h is the usual casualty. Expect to spell it out fairly often, and to correct forms that drop the middle h.
- German Shepherd is the first thing some people will think of, and a few children will make the joke. It tends to be a passing tease rather than a lasting one, but it is worth knowing in advance.
- The biblical association is strong in English. For some families that is part of the appeal; if you would rather the name not read as a statement of faith, it may not stay quiet.
Simon
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds and already familiar to English speakers, so it rarely needs repeating or correcting.
- Works nearly unchanged in French, German, Spanish, Hungarian and Hebrew, which makes it easy to carry across languages and families.
- Two syllables with clear consonants — short enough not to need a nickname, with Si and Sim available if one is wanted.
To consider
- Simon says is a playground game and Simple Simon an old English nursery rhyme, so the name comes with a couple of ready-made jokes. They tend to surface in early primary school and fade quickly.
- The Italian and French relatives cause occasional mix-ups: Simone reads as feminine to most American ears, and forms sent from abroad sometimes arrive spelled that way.
- Some readers will think first of one very well-known television judge, which colors the name for adults more than for children.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Shepherd
60%chance Shepherd feels dated by 2040
Shepherd is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
Simon
25%chance Simon feels dated by 2040
Simon peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Shepherd and Simon in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Shepherd and Simon?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Eight-letter names with presence
- Occupation names: little masons and archers
- Surname names used up front
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- all guides
Where Shepherd and Simon each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Shepherd or Simon — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Shepherd or Simon?
- Simon, in 2025: Simon ranked #230 with 1,529 babies; Shepherd ranked #246 with 1,408 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Shepherd or Simon?
- Shepherd. Over the last five years Shepherd moved up 348 places; Simon moved up 19 places.
- Which is the older name, Shepherd or Simon?
- Shepherd entered the US charts in 1886; Simon was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Simon is the older name.
- How many people are named Shepherd and Simon?
- About 7,500 people named Shepherd are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 57,000 people named Simon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Shepherds or Simons in the classroom?
- Shepherd will almost certainly be the only one in school. Simon will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Shepherd, Simon and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap