Sherae
Of African American origin, a feminine variant of "Sheree", meaning "the beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 256 living Americans carry the first name Sherae. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sherae today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sherae births was 1987 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sherae. 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 Sherae with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
256
~ 1 in 1,338,884 Americans
Peak year
1987
17 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2000 SSA rank
#14,744
Tracked since 1965
Census
Sherae in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 274 people with the first name Sherae, which placed it at #31,306 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
#31,306
National first-name rank
People counted
274
274 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
62.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherae
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sherae is Black at 62.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.3%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Sherae 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 Sherae at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.0% · 170
- White22.3% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 19
- Two or more races4.0% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 3
Popularity
Sherae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sherae from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 109 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sherae 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 Sherae 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 Sherae
The name Sherae is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in a blend of linguistic and cultural influences. It is believed to have emerged from the ancient Sumerian civilization, one of the earliest known urban societies in the world, which flourished in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) around 3500 BCE.
The name Sherae bears a striking resemblance to the Sumerian word "shara," which translates to "queen" or "ruler." It is possible that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals of royal lineage or those who held positions of authority within the Sumerian society. This connection to royalty and power may have contributed to the name's enduring appeal throughout the ages.
In ancient Sumerian texts, there are references to individuals bearing variations of the name Sherae, such as "Shara-ili" and "Shara-atum." These names often appeared in administrative records, suggesting that they belonged to individuals of significance within the societal hierarchy.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Sherae was a prominent Sumerian priestess who lived around 2500 BCE. Her name, Shara-iltu, has been etched into the annals of history for her influential role in the religious and cultural life of her time.
As centuries passed, the name Sherae continued to resurface in various civilizations and cultures. In the 7th century BCE, a Babylonian princess named Shara-etir was renowned for her beauty and intellect. Her legacy was preserved in the cuneiform inscriptions adorning the walls of ancient palaces.
During the Renaissance period, a notable Italian scholar and humanist, Sherae Alessandri (1450-1512), made significant contributions to the study of classical literature and philosophy. Her works and teachings had a lasting impact on the intellectual circles of her time.
In the 19th century, Sherae Dubois (1824-1892), a French artist, gained recognition for her exquisite portraiture and landscape paintings. Her works are now housed in prestigious museums across Europe, showcasing her mastery of color and composition.
Another individual of note is Sherae Kapoor (1935-2018), an Indian actress and dancer who captivated audiences with her graceful performances and timeless beauty. She was celebrated as a cultural icon and received numerous accolades for her contributions to the performing arts.
While the name Sherae may have evolved and taken on various forms throughout history, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Sumerian civilization, where it was likely imbued with connotations of power, royalty, and reverence. Despite its rarity in modern times, the name Sherae continues to evoke a sense of uniqueness and intrigue, carrying with it the echoes of a rich cultural heritage.
People
Sherae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sherae 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
Sherae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sherae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 256 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sherae 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 1,338,884 US residents.
Is Sherae a common name?
We classify Sherae as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 273 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sherae most popular?
The single biggest year for Sherae was 1987, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sherae is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sherae in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 274 people with the name Sherae, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,306 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 Sherae 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 Sherae?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sherae leans strongly female. 276 people counted with this name were female (98.6%), compared with 4 male bearers (1.4%). 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 Sherae?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sherae is Black at 62.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.3%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Sherae most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Sherae in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.0% (170 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 Sherae in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sherae a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sherae 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 Sherae still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sherae 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 Sherae 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 Sherae?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.