Sherburne
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "bright stream".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Sherburne. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sherburne today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sherburne births was 1921 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sherburne. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sherburne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1921
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1921 SSA rank
#4,883
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Sherburne: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sherburne 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 Sherburne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Sherburne
The name Sherburne is an English toponymic name derived from the place name Sherborne, which itself is composed of two Old English elements: "scir" meaning "bright" or "shining," and "burna" meaning "stream" or "brook." The name likely originated in the early medieval period in England, possibly referring to a specific settlement located near a bright or shining stream.
The earliest recorded use of the name Sherburne can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various historical documents and records. One notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Sherburne (c. 1280 - c. 1350), an English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.
During the Renaissance period, the name Sherburne gained some prominence. Sir Edward Sherburne (1618 - 1702) was an English translator and poet who is best known for his translations of works by Seneca, Ovid, and Manilius. Another notable figure from this era was Sir John Sherburne (c. 1620 - 1701), a prominent English Catholic landowner and Royalist during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the name Sherburne was associated with several prominent figures in the American colonies. One such individual was Andrew Sherburne (1765 - 1825), a New Hampshire politician who served as a United States Representative from 1805 to 1809. Another notable bearer of the name was John Samuel Sherburne (1757 - 1830), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from New Hampshire from 1793 to 1797.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Sherburne continued to be used, albeit less frequently. One noteworthy individual was John Henry Sherburne (1794 - 1876), an American naval officer who served in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent shipbuilder in Maine.
Throughout its long history, the name Sherburne has maintained its connection to its English roots, reflecting the enduring influence of place names and their linguistic origins on personal names.
People
Sherburne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sherburne 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
Sherburne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sherburne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sherburne 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 - US residents.
Is Sherburne a common name?
We classify Sherburne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sherburne most popular?
The single biggest year for Sherburne was 1921, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sherburne is about 0 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 Sherburne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sherburne a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sherburne 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 Sherburne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sherburne 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 Sherburne 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 share the name Sherburne?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.