Sterling
Pronounced S T ER1 L IH0 NG (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 2024
- 145 years in use
- 1 spelling
How popular is Sterling?
Sterling is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 40,931 children — the 557th most common boys' name on record.
It is climbing hard: roughly twice as many births in the past decade as in the one before it. Its best single year was 2024, when 895 children were given it.
Stirling is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Sterling and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Stirling
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- S T ER1 L IH0 NG
- Stress pattern:
- 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Sterling
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Sterling
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Sterling?
- Sterling ranks 557th among boys' names in US records, with 40,931 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 7,778.
- Is Sterling a unisex name?
- No. Sterling is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Sterling most popular?
- 2024, when 895 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Sterling spelled?
- Stirling. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.