Sheyenne
Feminine
Sheyenne writes the opening with sh, which is what English actually says, and it is also a real spelling on the American map. There is a Sheyenne River in North Dakota, spelled exactly this way, and it is a different watercourse from the one in Wyoming spelled with a c, though both names come from the same source.
How old is the name Sheyenne?
Sheyenne first appears in US birth records in 1977 — 48 years ago. The typical Sheyenne alive today was born around 1999, making them about 26 years old. About 1,400 people named Sheyenne are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sheyenne most popular?
Sheyenne peaked in 1997, reaching #1562 nationally. See the whole 1997 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From A word from a neighboring language for a plains nation to Sheyenne
The story of Sheyenne
The two spellings on the map are not a mistake. The river in North Dakota was recorded early with an s and the settlement in Wyoming with a c, and both stuck; the state of North Dakota has a Sheyenne River and a town called Sheyenne, and Wyoming has a capital called Cheyenne, and travelers confuse them constantly. Both derive from the same word, arriving through the same neighboring language, written down by different people at different times who each did their best with a sound English has two ways of spelling. That the personal name now exists in both spellings is a direct consequence: American families borrowing from the map had two versions available and used both.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The word behind both spellings comes from a neighboring language rather than from the people it names, and its meaning is disputed; the reading usually given describes people speaking unintelligibly. The nation it names call themselves by an entirely different word. As a personal name it is a borrowed place name and carries an identification rather than a meaning.
How the name formed
- A word from a neighboring language for a plains nation
- Written with an s in North Dakota and a c in Wyoming
- Both spellings borrowed as personal names
- Sheyenne as the less common of the two
Pronouncing Sheyenne
shy-AN
Two syllables with the stress at the back. The sh spelling makes the opening unambiguous where the c spelling does not, since English readers meeting a c before an h have to work out which of two sounds is meant.
Nicknames for Sheyenne
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
- 1977
- Most girls named
- 1997103 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1562reached in 1997
- Change vs 2017
- −22.2%7 in 2018, 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.
Sheyennes among us
people named Sheyenne 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
Sheyenne 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
- The spelling tells you the opening sound, which the standard version does not.
- It corresponds to a real place name rather than being an invented respelling.
- The sound is entirely familiar to Americans and needs no coaching.
- It names a living nation, and using it as a personal name is not neutral for everybody.
- Cheyenne is the far commoner spelling and this one will be converted into it.
- The meaning attributed to it comes from a neighboring language and not from the people named.
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Sheyenne
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Sheyennes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Sheyenne are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sheyenne in 2025?
- Sheyenne is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Sheyenne with classmates?
- Sheyenne 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 Sheyenne? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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