boys' name ★ peaked 1992

Sheldon

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #2,788 Trend ↓ Falling 38%

Sheldon is an English surname, as well as a masculine given name, combining the Old English scelf and the place name haddon, which in turn comes from the words hǣth…

Rank 2025
#2,788
among boys · ↓835 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
46
named Sheldon · -43% vs 2024
How common
1 in 37,132
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1992
624 babies
All-time total
37,172
#595 all-time among boys
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Sheldon popularity over time

37,172 babies have been named Sheldon since 1881, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 36 36 4 – #772
1890s – 41 41 4 +14% #788
1900s – 126 126 13 +207% #583
1910s – 1,037 1,037 104 +723% #417
1920s – 3,078 3,078 308 +197% #276
1930s 13 4,296 4,309 431 +40% #247
1940s 19 4,038 4,057 406 -6% #284
1950s 41 3,804 3,845 385 -5% #335
1960s 77 4,032 4,109 411 +7% #383
1970s 76 3,557 3,633 363 -12% #392
1980s 86 3,340 3,426 343 -6% #462
1990s 158 4,837 4,995 500 +46% #380
2000s 26 2,469 2,495 250 -50% #601
2010s – 1,579 1,579 158 -37% #945
2020s (to 2025) – 406 406 68 -57% #1,891

Where Sheldon is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 42 0.02 outside top 500
2027 39 0.02 outside top 500
2028 37 0.02 outside top 500
2029 35 0.02 outside top 500
2030 33 0.02 outside top 500

Where Sheldon is most popular

Boys named Sheldon per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.038 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Louisiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Sheldon born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 16 0.060 +59%
Florida 26 0.055 +45%
Louisiana 5 0.049 +29%
New York 21 0.049 +28%
California 34 0.037 ≈ national
Ohio 6 0.023 -40%
Texas 13 0.015 -61%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Sheldon

Sheldon is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,788 in 2025 with 46 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 37,172 American babies have been named Sheldon. Its peak came in 1992, when 624 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sheldon stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sheldon?

The median living Sheldon is about 45 years old; half are between 30 and 64. An estimated 25 thousand people named Sheldon are alive in the United States today.

median 45 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sheldon year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 46 #2,788
2024 – – 81 #1,953
2023 – – 60 #2,339
2022 – – 68 #2,164
2021 – – 72 #2,054
2020 – – 79 #1,891
2019 – – 110 #1,541
2018 – – 126 #1,399
2017 – – 134 #1,339
2016 – – 131 #1,364
2015 – – 140 #1,281
2014 – – 166 #1,145
2013 – – 180 #1,055
2012 – – 216 #945
2011 – – 176 #1,069
2010 – – 200 #987
2009 – – 189 #1,031
2008 – – 211 #952
2007 – – 206 #957
2006 – – 242 #842
2005 – – 257 #773
2004 – – 239 #762
2003 – – 230 #769
2002 8 #12,032 265 #688
2001 10 #9,995 329 #601
2000 8 #11,630 301 #623
1995 20 #4,994 493 #459
1990 15 #6,095 501 #441
1985 13 #5,613 326 #481
1980 – – 321 #469
1975 8 #7,028 368 #399
1970 9 #5,743 416 #392
1965 14 #3,515 396 #393
1960 – – 390 #402
1955 5 #6,572 353 #384
1950 6 #5,212 404 #335
1945 – – 368 #309
1940 – – 384 #286
1935 – – 465 #249
1930 – – 405 #282
1925 – – 323 #318
1920 – – 200 #424
1915 – – 125 #496
1910 – – 15 #816
1905 – – 5 #1,403
1900 – – 13 #727
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 5 #1,080
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sheldon

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sheldon Adelson Sheldon Adelson American businessman (1933–2021) Contemporary
  2. 2 Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon Whitehouse American politician and attorney (born 1955) Contemporary
  3. 3 Sheldon Leonard Sheldon Leonard American actor and producer (1907–1997) Contemporary
  4. 4 Sheldon Lee Glashow Sheldon Lee Glashow American theoretical physicist b. 1932 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sheldon, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sheldon?

The median living Sheldon is about 45 years old. Half of all living Sheldons are between 30 and 64 years old.

How many people named Sheldon are alive today?

An estimated 25 thousand people named Sheldon are alive in the United States, based on 37,172 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sheldon mean?

Sheldon is an English surname, as well as a masculine given name, combining the Old English scelf and the place name haddon, which in turn comes from the words hǣth (heath) and dūn.

How popular is the name Sheldon in 2025?

Sheldon ranked #2,788 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 46 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sheldon?

37,172 babies have been named Sheldon in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sheldon most popular?

Sheldon peaked in 1992, when 624 newborns received the name.

Is Sheldon a boy or girl name?

Sheldon is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sheldon rising or falling?

Sheldon is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Sheldon become more popular?

Sheldon is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 33 boys named Sheldon in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sheldon?

Well-known people named Sheldon include Sheldon Adelson (businessperson), Sheldon Whitehouse (politician), Sheldon Leonard (actor).

Names like Sheldon

Names that sound and feel close to Sheldon: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sheldon with similar names → More names starting with S →