How popular is the name Sheldon?

Sheldon ranks 561st among boys' names in US records, with 37,402 births since 1881. Over the past decade it accounts for 1,004.

Is Sheldon a unisex name?

No. Sheldon is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.

1992, when 621 children were given the name. It has been in use for 144 years and is still recorded as of 2024.

Shelden. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.

Boy name#561 of boy names

Pronounced SH EH1 L D AH0 N (ARPABET)

Sheldon is a boys' name, and first appears in 1881. It has been given to 37,402 children — the 561st most common boys' name on record.

It is falling away, down 53% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1992, when 621 children were given it.

Shelden is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.

1992Boys: 621Girls: 16

These spellings sound identical to Sheldon and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

Phonetic detail

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

How popular is the name Sheldon?: Sheldon ranks 561st among boys' names in US records, with 37,402 births since 1881. Over the past decade it accounts for 1,004.
Is Sheldon a unisex name?: No. Sheldon is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Sheldon most popular?: 1992, when 621 children were given the name. It has been in use for 144 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Sheldon spelled?: Shelden. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.