Sherla
A name of unknown origin, possibly a feminine form of Sherlock.
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Sherla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sherla today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sherla births was 1944 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sherla. 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 Sherla is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Sherlas were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sherla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1944
7 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1947 SSA rank
#4,711
Tracked since 1937
Popularity
Sherla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sherla from the 1930s through to the 1940s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 14 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
Sherla 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 Sherla 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 Sherla
The given name Sherla has its origins rooted in the ancient Sumerian language, which was spoken in the region of southern Mesopotamia, now modern-day Iraq and parts of Syria and Iran, during the 3rd millennium BCE. The name is believed to be derived from the Sumerian word "sher-la," which translates to "precious stone" or "gem."
This name gained popularity among the Sumerian people, who were known for their advanced civilization and their reverence for precious stones and gemstones. The name was often bestowed upon children, particularly girls, as a symbol of their preciousness and value within the community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sherla can be found in cuneiform tablets dating back to the 3rd century BCE, where it is mentioned as the name of a priestess in the temple of the goddess Inanna, who was revered as the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Sherla. One of the most famous was Sherla of Uruk (c. 2800 BCE), a renowned poet and scholar from the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk, who is credited with composing some of the earliest known works of literature in human history, including the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Another notable figure was Sherla al-Kindi (c. 801-873 CE), an Arab philosopher, mathematician, and scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of optics, music, and cryptography during the Islamic Golden Age.
In the medieval period, Sherla de Montfort (c. 1220-1300) was a French noblewoman and crusader who accompanied her husband, Simon de Montfort, on the Eighth Crusade to the Holy Land. She was known for her bravery and leadership during the battles in the region.
During the Renaissance, Sherla Borgia (1480-1519) was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her patronage of artists such as Raphael and Michelangelo, and her influence in the cultural and political circles of Renaissance Italy.
In more recent times, Sherla Bernhard (1944-present) is an American comedian, actress, and author, known for her outspoken and bold comedic style, as well as her advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and feminist causes.
People
Sherla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sherla 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
Sherla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sherla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sherla 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Sherla a common name?
We classify Sherla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sherla most popular?
The single biggest year for Sherla was 1944, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sherla is about 82 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sherla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sherla 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.
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.