Sheldon
Feminine · “steep valley”
Sheldon is given to boys far more often — 36,676 boys against 496 girls since 1880. See Sheldon as a boy name
Sheldon entered the US charts in 1931, peaked at #3103 in 1936, is rarely given in 2025 — given to only a few children a year.
How old is the name Sheldon?
Sheldon first appears in US birth records in 1931 — 94 years ago. The typical Sheldon alive today was born around 1985, making them about 40 years old. About 500 people named Sheldon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sheldon most popular?
Sheldon peaked in 1936, reaching #3103 nationally. See the whole 1936 chart.
Where it comes from
From scelf + dun to Sheldon
The story of Sheldon
Sheldon is a place name in Derbyshire, Devon and Warwickshire, and the families from them carried the surname. It crossed into American given-name use in the nineteenth century — the ordinary route for English surnames — and was taken up particularly by Jewish-American families as an English-sounding name. Sheldon peaked in American records around 1937.
Meaningscholars disagree
steep valley; shelf hill
Three English Sheldons give three readings: the Derbyshire one from scelf, 'shelf', and dun, 'hill'; the Devon one from scylf and denu, 'valley'; the Warwickshire one from a word for a heath. The dun and denu elements are secure; which applies depends on the place.
How the name formed
- scelf + dun
- Sheldon
Related forms: Shelden · Shelton
Pronouncing Sheldon
SHEL-dun
Two syllables, stress on the first. No variation between English accents.
Nicknames for Sheldon
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
- 1931
- Most girls named
- 199424 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3103reached in 1936
- Change vs 2001
- −20.0%8 in 2002, from 10
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.
Sheldon in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Shelden in English — spelling variant
- Shelton in English — related form
Sheldons among us
people named Sheldon 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
Sheldon 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
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What they receive
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Sheldon
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Sheldons 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 Sheldon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sheldon in 2025?
- Sheldon is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Sheldon with classmates?
- Sheldon will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More S names
The most-given names starting with S, all years combined.
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Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Sheldon? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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