Girl · #13,427 in 2026

Shari

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

Shari is an English feminine given name inspired by the French chérie, meaning darling. It has also been used as a diminutive of names starting with or containing the sound Cher- or Sher- such as Cherilyn, Cheryl, Sharon, or Sherilyn for females.

Current Rank

#13,427

Peak Rank

#142 (1961)

Total Babies

41K

5-Yr Trend

-30%

1927

First Year

2024

Last Year

1961

Peak Year

#142

Peak Rank

41K

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Shari

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 Shari

Shari first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1927, with 9 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1961, when 3,117 Sharis were born — ranking #142 that year. As of 2026, Shari ranks #13,427 for baby girls with 6 births, falling sharply (-30%). In total, more than 41K Sharis have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Shari

Phonetically similar names — useful when Shari 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 Shari

What does the name Shari mean?

How popular is Shari in 2026?

In 2026, Shari ranks #13,427 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Shari most popular?

Shari reached its peak popularity in 1961, ranking #142 that year with 3,117 babies given the name.

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

Shari has historically been most popular in North Dakota, Nebraska, Hawaii. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Shari.

Is Shari a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Shari?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Shari include Vicky, Tori, Winifred. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Shari

Shari is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1927 and has accumulated 41K births in the dataset. Shari's peak popularity came in 1961 when it ranked #142. Use the chart and map above to compare Shari'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.