Sherril
A feminine English name derived from the word "sherry", meaning "little berry".
Name Census estimates that about 1,099 living Americans carry the first name Sherril. It is a predominantly female name (91.4% of registrations). The average person named Sherril today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sherril births was 1953 (82 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sherril. 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 Sherril is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Sherrils were born before 1966.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 311,878 Americans
Peak year
1953
82 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1953 SSA rank
#4,271
Tracked since 1925
Gender
Gender distribution for Sherril
Sherril leans heavily female at 91.4% of total registrations, but 153 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Sherril as a male name
- Ranked #4,271 in 1953
- 5 male births in 1953
- Peak: 1937 (11 births)
Sherril as a female name
- Ranked #10,702 in 1986
- 6 female births in 1986
- Peak: 1953 (77 births)
Popularity
Sherril: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sherril from the 1920s through to the 1980s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 638 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sherril 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 Sherril during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sherrils live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Sherril, while Ohio, Missouri, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sherril
The name Sherril has its roots in the Old English language, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old English words "scir" meaning "bright" and "rill" meaning "stream" or "brook." The name was initially used to describe a person who lived near a bright stream or a location with a sparkling brook.
In the early medieval period, the name Sherril was primarily found in the Anglo-Saxon regions of England. It was a common name among the nobility and the gentry, often given to children born in the vicinity of clear, flowing streams or rivers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sherril can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of lands and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears multiple times in various county records, indicating its widespread use during the Norman period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sherril. One of the most famous was Sherril of Oxfordshire (1145-1212), a prominent landowner and knight who fought in the Third Crusade under King Richard I. Another historical figure was Sherril the Scribe (1295-1365), a renowned calligrapher and illuminator who worked on several important manuscripts in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, Sherril Devereux (1520-1589) was an influential English courtier and a close advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the political and cultural affairs of the Elizabethan era.
Moving forward in time, Sherril Wordsworth (1770-1859) was the sister of the famous Romantic poet William Wordsworth. She was a writer and diarist in her own right, known for her insightful observations on nature and the literary circles of the time.
In the 20th century, Sherril Milliken (1915-2003) was an American entrepreneur and business magnate. He founded the highly successful Milliken & Company, a textile and chemical manufacturing corporation, and was widely respected for his innovative management strategies.
While the name Sherril has evolved over the centuries, its connection to the natural world and its association with nobility and literary circles have endured. Its rich history and evocative meaning have contributed to its enduring appeal as a given name across generations.
People
Sherril + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sherril 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
Sherril: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sherril?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,099 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sherril 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 311,878 US residents.
Is Sherril a common name?
We classify Sherril as "Rare". It ranks above 90.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,775 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sherril most popular?
The single biggest year for Sherril was 1953, when 82 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sherril is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sherril a female name?
Yes, 91.4% of people registered as Sherril 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.