Shearl
A feminine name of English origin, meaning "bright hair".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Shearl. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Shearl today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shearl births was 1930 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shearl. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Shearl is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Shearls were born before 1966.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shearl. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1930
5 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1960 SSA rank
#4,522
Tracked since 1930
Gender
Gender distribution for Shearl
Shearl is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 20 total registrations, 10 (50.0%) were male and 10 (50.0%) were female.
Shearl as a male name
- Ranked #4,522 in 1960
- 5 male births in 1960
- Peak: 1930 (5 births)
Shearl as a female name
- Ranked #6,391 in 1953
- 5 female births in 1953
- Peak: 1948 (5 births)
Popularity
Shearl: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shearl from the 1930s through to the 1960s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shearl 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 Shearl 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 Shearl
The name Shearl is believed to have originated from the Old English word "scearra," which means "to shear" or "to cut." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with occupations related to cutting or trimming, such as tailors, weavers, or barbers.
In ancient times, the name Shearl was primarily found in regions where Old English was spoken, particularly in parts of modern-day England and Scotland. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 7th or 8th century, though its use was relatively uncommon during that period.
One of the earliest known references to the name Shearl can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals documenting the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The Chronicle mentions a person named Shearl who was involved in a local skirmish in the year 672.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Shearl remained in use, though it was not particularly widespread. Some notable individuals with this name during this time include Shearl of Wessex, a minor nobleman who lived in the 9th century, and Shearl the Scribe, a monk from Northumbria who is credited with transcribing several religious manuscripts in the 11th century.
As the use of surnames became more common in the late medieval period, the name Shearl began to appear as a surname as well. One notable figure from this era was Shearl Longbowe, an English archer who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the French in the 14th century.
During the Renaissance and Early Modern periods, the name Shearl experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the upper classes. One prominent individual with this name was Shearl Beaufort, an English courtier and patron of the arts who lived during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century.
Another notable figure was Shearl Devereux, an English explorer and soldier who participated in the colonization of Virginia in the early 17th century. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Jamestown settlement and is remembered for his interactions with the Native American tribes in the region.
People
Shearl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shearl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shearl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shearl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shearl 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Shearl a common name?
We classify Shearl as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shearl most popular?
The single biggest year for Shearl was 1930, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shearl is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Shearl in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shearl a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Shearl 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 Shearl still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shearl 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 Shearl 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Shearl as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Shearl on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.