Sherlin
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a blend of "Sherl" and "Lynn".
Name Census estimates that about 758 living Americans carry the first name Sherlin. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sherlin today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sherlin births was 2006 (121 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sherlin. 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.
People living today
758
~ 1 in 452,183 Americans
Peak year
2006
121 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,228
Tracked since 1951
Census
Sherlin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 802 people with the first name Sherlin, which placed it at #14,631 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
#14,631
National first-name rank
People counted
802
802 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
76.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherlin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sherlin is Hispanic at 76.4%. The next largest groups are White (10.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Sherlin 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 Sherlin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino76.4% · 613
- White10.2% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 49
- Black or African American5.5% · 44
- Two or more races1.0% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 6
Popularity
Sherlin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sherlin from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 517 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sherlin 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 Sherlin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sherlins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Sherlin, while Alabama, Illinois, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sherlin
The name Sherlin finds its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, with roots that can be traced back to the 5th century AD. The name is derived from the Old High German word "scher," meaning "bright" or "shining," and the suffix "-lin," a diminutive form indicating smallness or endearment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sherlin can be found in the Codex Sangallensis, an 8th-century manuscript from the Abbey of St. Gall in present-day Switzerland. The name appears in a list of monastic scribes, suggesting its use among the clergy of that era.
In the Middle Ages, the name gained popularity across various regions of Europe, particularly in Germanic-speaking areas. It was commonly bestowed upon both men and women, although its usage was more prominent among the nobility and upper classes.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sherlin. One of the earliest recorded figures was Sherlin of Saxony (c. 980 - 1036), a German noblewoman and abbess of the Quedlinburg Abbey during the 11th century. Her patronage of the arts and learning made her a influential figure in the cultural landscape of her time.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Sherlin the Scribe (c. 1150 - 1220), a renowned calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts in medieval England. His intricate and beautiful works, such as the renowned "Sherlin Gospels," are considered masterpieces of the period.
In the 16th century, Sherlin von Hütten (1488 - 1523) was a German knight, poet, and one of the key figures of the Protestant Reformation. His satirical writings and fervent support for Martin Luther's cause earned him both fame and notoriety during the tumultuous religious upheaval of that era.
Moving into the modern era, Sherlin Brockmann (1885 - 1964) was a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Berlin after World War II. His designs, influenced by the Bauhaus movement, left a lasting impact on the city's post-war landscape.
Lastly, Sherlin Naidoo (1938 - 2009) was a South African activist and human rights advocate who fought against the apartheid regime. Her tireless efforts in promoting equality and social justice earned her numerous accolades, including the Order of the Baobab, one of South Africa's highest civilian honors.
People
Sherlin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sherlin 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
Sherlin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sherlin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 758 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sherlin 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 452,183 US residents.
Is Sherlin a common name?
We classify Sherlin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 769 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sherlin most popular?
The single biggest year for Sherlin was 2006, when 121 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sherlin is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sherlin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 802 people with the name Sherlin, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,631 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 Sherlin 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 Sherlin?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sherlin leans strongly female. 767 people counted with this name were female (96.2%), compared with 30 male bearers (3.8%). 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 Sherlin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sherlin is Hispanic at 76.4%. The next largest groups are White (10.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Sherlin most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Sherlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (613 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 Sherlin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sherlin a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sherlin 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 Sherlin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sherlin 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 Sherlin 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 common is the name Sherlin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Sherlin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.