Girl · #3,948 in 2026

Cheryl

Name: Popularity of the name Cheryl in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Cheryl, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Cheryl is a feminine given name with multiple origins. The name might have originated as a combination of the name Beryl with the prefix Cher- from the French chérie, meaning darling. The name has also been considered a variant of Charles, which is pronounced SHARL in French.

Current Rank

#3,948

Peak Rank

#13 (1958)

Total Babies

440K

5-Yr Trend

-19%

1909

First Year

2026

Last Year

1958

Peak Year

#13

Peak Rank

440K

Total Count

114

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Cheryl

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Cheryl

Cheryl first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1909, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1958, when 24,118 Cheryls were born — ranking #13 that year. As of 2026, Cheryl ranks #3,948 for baby girls with 37 births, falling sharply (-19%). In total, more than 440K Cheryls have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Cheryl

Phonetically similar names — useful when Cheryl is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cheryl

What does the name Cheryl mean?

How popular is Cheryl in 2026?

In 2026, Cheryl ranks #3,948 among girls' names in the U.S., with 37 babies given the name that year.

When was Cheryl most popular?

Cheryl reached its peak popularity in 1958, ranking #13 that year with 24,118 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Cheryl most popular?

Cheryl has historically been most popular in Nevada, Michigan, Idaho. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Cheryl.

Is Cheryl a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Cheryl is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Cheryl?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cheryl include Grace, Violet, Dolores. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Cheryl

Cheryl is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1909 and has accumulated 440K births in the dataset. Cheryl's peak popularity came in 1958 when it ranked #13. Use the chart and map above to compare Cheryl's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.