Sharan
Feminine · “Refuge”
Sharan is given to both — 1,190 girls and 58 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Sharan is the Sanskrit word for refuge, and it is the word at the center of the oldest formula in Buddhism: I go to the Buddha for refuge, I go to the teaching for refuge, I go to the community for refuge, said three times over, which is how a person becomes a Buddhist and has been for two and a half thousand years.
How old is the name Sharan?
Sharan first appears in US birth records in 1936 — 89 years ago. The typical Sharan alive today was born around 1954, making them about 71 years old. About 900 people named Sharan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sharan most popular?
Sharan peaked in 1947, reaching #1106 nationally. See the whole 1947 chart.
Where it comes from
From sharana to Sharan
The story of Sharan
The formula is short and it is a declaration rather than a prayer: nothing is asked for and nothing is promised, only a statement about where a person is going to stand. Saying it three times in front of a monk is the whole of the ceremony. The word also carries a strong sense in the devotional Hindu traditions, where surrendering to a god is described with it, and in Jainism, where it appears in the same position. A word that means somewhere to go when you cannot stay where you are has ended up at the entrance of three religions, and in each of them it is the first thing said.
Meaning
Refuge, shelter
Sanskrit sharana, a shelter or protection, and by extension the act of taking refuge in something. It is used in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain contexts alike, and it appears at the end of compound names as well as standing alone. The meaning is not disputed anywhere.
How the name formed
- sharana
- Sharan
Related forms: Sharan · Sharan · Sharana
Pronouncing Sharan
SHUH-run
Two syllables with the stress at the front. Sanskrit has a retroflex s, made with the tongue curled back, which English cannot write and does not have; every English spelling of the name loses it.
Nicknames for Sharan
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1936
- Most girls named
- 194765 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1106reached in 1947
- Change vs 2007
- 0.0%5 in 2016, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Sharan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Sharan in Hindi — same name
- Sharan in Punjabi — same name
- Sharana in Sanskrit — related form
Sharans among us
people named Sharan are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Sharan sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A clear, generous meaning that is uncontested in three religious traditions.
- Every sound in the English version is ordinary English, so it is never mispronounced twice.
- It works for a child of either sex, which the record confirms.
- The record carries it for girls as well as boys, so it signals nothing on a form.
- English speakers will hear it as Sharon, which is a different name from a different language.
- The retroflex consonant cannot be shown in English spelling, so the name is always approximate.
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What they receive
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Sharan
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Sharans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Sharan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sharan in 2025?
- Sharan is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Sharan with classmates?
- Sharan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More S names
The most-given names starting with S, all years combined.
Susan#1085 · Sarah#90 · Sandra#1207 · Stephanie#557 · Sharon#1250 · Shirley#1581 · Samantha#151 · Sophia#5
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Sharan? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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