Sharifa
Feminine · “noble”
Sharifa is the feminine of the Arabic Sharif, noble, a word that was once part of the official name of a kingdom. It is three syllables with the stress in the middle, dignified and warm.
How old is the name Sharifa?
Sharifa first appears in US birth records in 1967 — 58 years ago. The typical Sharifa alive today was born around 1985, making them about 40 years old. About 500 people named Sharifa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sharifa most popular?
Sharifa peaked in 1976, reaching #2932 nationally. See the whole 1976 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From sharīf to Sharifa
The story of Sharifa
The kings of Morocco trace their descent from the Prophet, and for centuries the country was known to Europeans as the Sharifian Empire, a title it kept in official use until independence. The feminine Sharifa is a given name across the Arabic-speaking world and in East Africa. In America it was taken up by Muslim families and by others drawn to Arabic names, and the record does not say which families had which reason.
Meaning
noble, honorable
From Arabic sharīfa, the feminine of sharīf, noble or honorable, used as a title for women descended from the Prophet Muhammad and as a given name.
How the name formed
- sharīf
- sharīfa
- Sharifa
Related forms: Sharifa · Sharifa · Şerife
Pronouncing Sharifa
shuh-REE-fuh
Stress on the middle syllable.
Nicknames for Sharifa
Limited
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
- 1967
- Most girls named
- 198127 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2932reached in 1976
- Change vs 2023
- −11.1%8 in 2024, from 9
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.
Sharifa in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Sharifa in Arabic — same name
- Sharifa in Swahili — same name
- Şerife in Turkish — same name
Sharifas among us
people named Sharifa 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
Sharifa 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
- Its meaning, noble, is clear and admired.
- It is recognized across many languages.
- People may write Sharefa or Sherifa.
- Some will hear sheriff in it.
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Sharifa
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Sharifas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Sharifa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sharifa in 2025?
- Sharifa is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Sharifa with classmates?
- Sharifa 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 Sharifa? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Sharifa and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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