Sherlynn
An English feminine name derived from a combination of Sher (fierce) and lynn (small lake).
Name Census estimates that about 223 living Americans carry the first name Sherlynn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sherlynn today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sherlynn births was 2006 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sherlynn. 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
223
~ 1 in 1,537,015 Americans
Peak year
2006
13 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,989
Tracked since 1945
Census
Sherlynn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 297 people with the first name Sherlynn, which placed it at #29,680 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
#29,680
National first-name rank
People counted
297
297 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
42.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherlynn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sherlynn is White at 42.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.6%) and Black (17.8%). 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 Sherlynn 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 Sherlynn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.8% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino25.6% · 76
- Black or African American17.8% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.8% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 6
- Two or more races2.0% · 6
Popularity
Sherlynn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sherlynn from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 68 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Sherlynn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sherlynn 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 Sherlynn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sherlynns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sherlynn
The given name Sherlynn is a relatively modern English name that emerged in the 20th century. It is a combination of the names Sheryl and Lynn, with Sheryl being a variation of the name Shirley, which has its roots in the English surname Shirley, derived from the town of Shirley in Derbyshire, England. The name Lynn, on the other hand, has its origins in the Old English word "linn," meaning a pool or waterfall.
While the name Sherlynn itself does not have a long historical lineage, its composite elements have been in use for centuries. The name Shirley can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was recorded in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name Lynn has also been in use since the Middle Ages, often as a surname or place name.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sherlynn are relatively recent, with the first known usage dating back to the mid-20th century. However, it is worth noting that record-keeping and naming conventions were not as standardized in earlier centuries, so it is possible that the name may have been used informally or in isolated cases before then.
Despite its relatively modern origin, the name Sherlynn has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest known bearers of the name is Sherlynn Quan, an American actress and martial artist born in 1964. She is best known for her roles in films like "Kung Fu Hustle" and "The Man with the Iron Fists."
Another notable Sherlynn is Sherlynn Fenn, an American actress born in 1965. She gained recognition for her roles in television series like "Twin Peaks" and "Shameless." Sherlynn Trentman, born in 1963, is an American mathematician and professor known for her contributions to the field of differential geometry.
In the literary world, Sherlynn Skvortz is an American author and poet born in 1959, known for her works exploring themes of feminism and social justice. Sherlynn Patton, born in 1962, is an American businesswoman and entrepreneur who has founded several successful companies in the field of technology and software development.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Sherlynn throughout history. While the name may not have a long and storied past like some other names, it has gained popularity and recognition in more recent times, reflecting the ever-evolving nature of naming traditions and the influence of cultural exchange and linguistic blending.
People
Sherlynn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sherlynn 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
Sherlynn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sherlynn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 223 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sherlynn 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 1,537,015 US residents.
Is Sherlynn a common name?
We classify Sherlynn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 274 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sherlynn most popular?
The single biggest year for Sherlynn was 2006, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sherlynn is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sherlynn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 297 people with the name Sherlynn, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,680 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 Sherlynn 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 Sherlynn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sherlynn appears almost entirely female. Of the 296 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Sherlynn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sherlynn is White at 42.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.6%) and Black (17.8%). 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 Sherlynn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Sherlynn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.8% (127 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 Sherlynn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sherlynn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sherlynn 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 Sherlynn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sherlynn 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 Sherlynn 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 people have Sherlynn as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Sherlynn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.