Cherilynn
A combination of feminine names meaning "cherry tree meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 178 living Americans carry the first name Cherilynn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cherilynn today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cherilynn births was 1974 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cherilynn. 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.
People living today
178
~ 1 in 1,925,586 Americans
Peak year
1974
13 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1993 SSA rank
#13,872
Tracked since 1947
Census
Cherilynn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 283 people with the first name Cherilynn, which placed it at #30,644 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
#30,644
National first-name rank
People counted
283
283 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
73.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cherilynn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cherilynn is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%). 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 Cherilynn 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 Cherilynn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.5% · 208
- Black or African American9.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.2% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 11
- Two or more races2.8% · 8
Popularity
Cherilynn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cherilynn from the 1940s through to the 1990s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 55 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Cherilynn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cherilynn 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 Cherilynn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cherilynn
The name Cherilynn is a relatively modern English name that emerged in the 20th century. It is a combination of the names Cheryl and Lynn, both of which have their own distinct origins and meanings.
The first part of the name, Cheryl, derives from the French name Cherie, meaning "darling" or "beloved." This name has its roots in the Old French word "chere," which translates to "face" or "countenance." The etymology of the name can be traced back to the Latin word "carus," meaning "dear" or "precious."
The second part of the name, Lynn, is an English name with various potential origins. One theory suggests it is derived from the Welsh name Llyn, meaning "lake" or "pool." Another theory traces its roots to the Old English word "linden," referring to the linden tree. Additionally, Lynn may have originated from the Scottish surname Linn, which is believed to have been derived from a place name.
While the name Cherilynn itself does not have a long historical record, some notable individuals have borne this name throughout the years. One of the earliest recorded examples is Cherilynn Fergus, an American actress born in 1949, known for her roles in television shows like "The Waltons" and "Little House on the Prairie."
Another individual with this name is Cherilynn Morrow, an American musician and songwriter born in 1947. She was a member of the folk-rock group the Stone Poneys and collaborated with artists like Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young.
In the field of sports, Cherilynn Thorne, born in 1964, was a Canadian softball player who represented her country in multiple international competitions, including the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Cherilynn Woodbine, born in 1971, is a Canadian actress known for her roles in films like "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and television series such as "24" and "Saving Grace."
Lastly, Cherilynn Lesley, born in 1980, is a British actress and model who has appeared in various stage productions and television shows, including "EastEnders" and "The Bill."
While the name Cherilynn may not have a long and storied history like some ancient names, it reflects the creativity and blending of different cultural influences that have shaped modern naming practices.
People
Cherilynn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cherilynn 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
Cherilynn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cherilynn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 178 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cherilynn 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 1,925,586 US residents.
Is Cherilynn a common name?
We classify Cherilynn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 216 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cherilynn most popular?
The single biggest year for Cherilynn was 1974, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cherilynn is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cherilynn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 283 people with the name Cherilynn, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,644 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 Cherilynn 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 Cherilynn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cherilynn appears almost entirely female. Of the 288 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Cherilynn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cherilynn is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%). 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 Cherilynn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cherilynn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (208 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 Cherilynn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cherilynn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cherilynn 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 Cherilynn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cherilynn 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 Cherilynn 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 people have Cherilynn as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.