Sherran
A feminine variant of Sharon, ultimately derived from a Hebrew word meaning "plain".
Name Census estimates that about 153 living Americans carry the first name Sherran. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sherran today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sherran births was 1947 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sherran. 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 Sherran is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Sherrans were born before 1960.
People living today
153
~ 1 in 2,240,224 Americans
Peak year
1947
28 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1974 SSA rank
#9,987
Tracked since 1937
Census
Sherran in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 277 people with the first name Sherran, which placed it at #31,090 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
#31,090
National first-name rank
People counted
277
277 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
75.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherran
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sherran is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Sherran 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 Sherran at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 209
- Black or African American16.6% · 46
- Two or more races4.3% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Popularity
Sherran: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sherran from the 1930s through to the 1970s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 165 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sherran 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 Sherran during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sherrans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sherran
The name Sherran is believed to have its origins in the Persian language, with roots tracing back to ancient Persia, now known as Iran. The name is thought to be derived from the Persian word "shirin," which means "sweet" or "beloved." This suggests that the name was initially given to children as a term of endearment, expressing the parents' affection for their offspring.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sherran can be found in the epic Persian poem "Shahnameh" (Book of Kings), written by the celebrated poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. In this literary masterpiece, Sherran is mentioned as the name of a minor character, though the details surrounding this individual are scarce.
During the Middle Ages, the name Sherran gained some prominence in certain parts of the Persian Empire, particularly in regions that are now part of modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Historical records from this period indicate that the name was occasionally bestowed upon individuals from noble or influential families, possibly as a way to express their cherished status within the community.
One notable figure who carried the name Sherran was a Persian poet and scholar who lived in the 13th century. Though little is known about his life, some of his works have been preserved and provide insights into the literary and cultural traditions of the time. Another individual named Sherran was a skilled calligrapher who lived in the 16th century and was renowned for his intricate and beautiful calligraphic works, which adorned many manuscripts and architectural structures of the era.
Moving forward in time, the name Sherran appears to have gained some popularity in certain parts of South Asia, particularly in regions with historical ties to the Persian Empire. In the 18th century, there was a prominent Sherran who served as a military commander under the Mughal Empire, which ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent. This Sherran is said to have played a significant role in several battles and military campaigns during his time.
While the name Sherran has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including writers, artists, scholars, and military figures. Each person who bore this name contributed to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage and played a role in shaping the societies in which they lived.
People
Sherran + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sherran 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
Sherran: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sherran?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 153 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sherran 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 2,240,224 US residents.
Is Sherran a common name?
We classify Sherran as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 282 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sherran most popular?
The single biggest year for Sherran was 1947, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sherran is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sherran in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 277 people with the name Sherran, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,090 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 Sherran 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 Sherran?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sherran leans strongly female. 272 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 Sherran?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sherran is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Sherran most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Sherran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (209 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 Sherran in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sherran a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sherran 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 Sherran still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sherran 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 Sherran 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 Sherran as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Sherran, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.