Cherilyn
A feminine name of English origin meaning "cherished sweetheart".
Name Census estimates that about 1,969 living Americans carry the first name Cherilyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cherilyn today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cherilyn births was 1972 (161 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cherilyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Cherilyn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.0K
~ 1 in 174,075 Americans
Peak year
1972
161 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2016 SSA rank
#16,798
Tracked since 1941
Census
Cherilyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,121 people with the first name Cherilyn, which placed it at #7,248 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,248
National first-name rank
People counted
2.1K
2,121 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
70.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cherilyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cherilyn is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cherilyn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cherilyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.0% · 1,485
- Black or African American10.5% · 222
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.7% · 185
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 102
- Two or more races3.7% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 49
Popularity
Cherilyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cherilyn from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 834 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cherilyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cherilyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cherilyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Cherilyn, while South Carolina, Connecticut, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cherilyn
The name Cherilyn is an English feminine name that originated in the 20th century. It is a combination of the English name Cheryl, which is derived from the French name Cherie, meaning "darling" or "beloved," and the suffix "-lyn," which is a diminutive ending commonly used in English names.
The first recorded use of the name Cherilyn can be traced back to the early 20th century, around the 1920s or 1930s. It gained popularity in the United States and other English-speaking countries as a modern variation of the more traditional name Cheryl.
While the name Cherilyn does not have a direct historical reference in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its roots can be traced back to the French language and culture. The word "cherie" was commonly used as a term of endearment in French, and its incorporation into the name Cherilyn reflects the desire to convey a sense of affection and fondness.
One of the earliest recorded examples of a notable person bearing the name Cherilyn is Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere, better known as Cher, an American singer and actress born in 1946. Cher achieved widespread fame in the 1960s as part of the duo Sonny & Cher and later became a successful solo artist and actress.
Another well-known Cherilyn is Cherilyn Hawrysh, a Canadian politician and lawyer born in 1952. She served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and held various cabinet positions in the provincial government.
In the literary world, Cherilyn Ferroggiaro is an American author and teacher born in 1959, known for her works of fiction and non-fiction, including the novel "The Walking Boy."
Cherilyn Yazzie, born in 1957, is a Navajo basket weaver and artist who has contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of traditional Navajo arts and crafts.
Cherilyn Wilson is a British singer and songwriter born in 1969, known for her work as a vocalist and collaborator with various electronic music artists and groups.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Cherilyn, reflecting its enduring presence and appeal across various cultures and professions.
People
Cherilyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cherilyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cherilyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cherilyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,969 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cherilyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 174,075 US residents.
Is Cherilyn a common name?
We classify Cherilyn as "Rare". It ranks above 93.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,358 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cherilyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Cherilyn was 1972, when 161 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cherilyn is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cherilyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,121 people with the name Cherilyn, or 0.70 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,248 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cherilyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cherilyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cherilyn appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,125 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cherilyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cherilyn is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cherilyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cherilyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.0% (1,485 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cherilyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cherilyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cherilyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cherilyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cherilyn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cherilyn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Cherilyn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.