Shed
A small, simple structure typically made of wood or metal.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Shed. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shed today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shed births was 1914 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shed. 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 Shed is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Sheds were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shed. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1914
8 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,423
Tracked since 1883
Popularity
Shed: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shed from the 1880s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 23 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shed 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 Shed 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 Shed
The given name Shed is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, which dates back to around the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Chhada," which means "to cover" or "to protect." This name was likely given to children with the intention of bestowing upon them the qualities of shelter, security, and guardianship.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shed can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas, which are among the oldest religious texts in the world. In the Rig Veda, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism, there is a reference to a sage named Shed Vidya, who was revered for his wisdom and spiritual teachings.
During the Mauryan Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, there was a prominent military commander named Shed Varma. He is credited with leading several successful campaigns and ensuring the empire's territorial expansion under the reign of Emperor Ashoka.
In the 7th century CE, a renowned scholar and philosopher named Shed Siddhi gained widespread acclaim for his contributions to the field of logic and epistemology. His treatise, "Shed Sutra," is still studied and revered by scholars to this day.
In the 12th century, a Sufi mystic and poet named Shed al-Din Rumi, born in present-day Afghanistan, became one of the most influential figures in Persian literature and Sufism. His poetic masterpiece, the Masnavi, is considered one of the greatest works of Persian literature and has been translated into numerous languages.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th centuries, there was a prominent historian and courtier named Shed Khan. He served under several Mughal emperors and is best known for his meticulous chronicles of the empire's history and court life.
People
Shed + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shed 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
Shed: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shed?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shed 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 Shed a common name?
We classify Shed 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, 87 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shed most popular?
The single biggest year for Shed was 1914, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shed is about 83 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 Shed in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shed a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shed in the SSA data are male. 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 Shed still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shed 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 Shed 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 Americans are named Shed?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.