Sheldon
Sheldon is an English surname, as well as a masculine given name, combining the Old English scelf and the place name haddon, which in turn comes from the words hǣth (heath) and dūn. Popular family history groups and notable people with the name include:
Meaning & Origin of Sheldon
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Sheldon is an English surname, as well as a masculine given name, combining the Old English scelf and the place name haddon, which in turn comes from the words hǣth (heath) and dūn. Popular family history groups and notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Sheldon
Sheldon first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1881, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1992, when 608 Sheldons were born — ranking #380 that year. As of 2026, Sheldon ranks #2,119 for baby boys with 71 births, falling sharply (-33%). In total, more than 37K Sheldons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Sheldon
Phonetically similar names — useful when Sheldon 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 Sheldon
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About the name Sheldon
Sheldon is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 37K births in the dataset. Sheldon's peak popularity came in 1992 when it ranked #247. Use the chart and map above to compare Sheldon's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1992 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.