Sherlene
Feminine
Sherlene belongs to a family of names that English made from nothing in the space of about thirty years. Cheryl, Sheryl, Sherrie, Sherlene and their relatives all appear in the record between the wars, none of them has an agreed origin, and the reference books that carry them are reduced to listing possibilities.
How old is the name Sherlene?
Sherlene first appears in US birth records in 1929 — 96 years ago. The typical Sherlene alive today was born around 1954, making them about 71 years old. About 800 people named Sherlene are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sherlene most popular?
Sherlene peaked in 1940, reaching #1477 nationally. See the whole 1940 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Cheryl and Sheryl appear in English between the wars to Sherlene
The story of Sherlene
What makes this family unusual is that it was made in front of the record. Most English names arrived from somewhere else — a saint, a scripture, a conquest — and their origins are lost because they happened before anybody was writing names down systematically. These ones were invented inside living memory, in a country that keeps annual statistics, and we still cannot say who made them or why. The record is very good at showing when a name appeared and completely silent about the moment of invention, which happens in a kitchen and gets written down only once it is already a fact.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The commonest suggestion for the front of this family is that Cheryl was built from Cherie, the French endearment, and Beryl, which was fashionable at the time — a plausible guess with nothing behind it. Others propose a Welsh source, or a form of Charlotte. The ending is the one that produced Charlene, Darlene and Arlene in the same decades and was attaching itself to almost any available front. Two uncertain halves make a name that cannot be explained, only described.
How the name formed
- Cheryl and Sheryl appear in English between the wars
- the ene ending spreads across new names
- Sherlene formed from both
- peaks in America around 1940
- the whole family fades after the 1960s
Related forms: Sharlene · Cheryl · Sherlyn
Pronouncing Sherlene
shur-LEEN
Two syllables with the stress at the back, on the pattern of Charlene and Darlene. SHER-leen, with the weight at the front, is also heard.
Nicknames for Sherlene
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
- 1929
- Most girls named
- 195840 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1477reached in 1940
- Change vs 2009
- −22.2%7 in 2011, 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.
Sherlene in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Sharlene in English — spelling variant
- Cheryl in English — related form
- Sherlyn in English — spelling variant
Sherlenes among us
people named Sherlene 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
Sherlene 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
- It is soft, entirely readable and belongs to a real period of English naming.
- Sher and Lene are both available and both work on their own.
- It is genuinely rare while sounding completely familiar.
- No dictionary can give her a meaning, and the guesses on offer contradict each other.
- Sharlene and Charlene are commoner and will be substituted regularly.
- It is firmly dated to the middle decades of the last century.
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Sherlene
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Sherlenes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Sherlene are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sherlene in 2025?
- Sherlene is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Sherlene with classmates?
- Sherlene 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
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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