Boy · #12,230 in 2026

Sheriff

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

Current Rank

#12,230

Peak Rank

#4,853 (1986)

Total Babies

102

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1986

First Year

2023

Last Year

1986

Peak Year

#4853

Peak Rank

102

Total Count

Years Active

The Story of Sheriff

The earliest SSA record of Sheriff as a baby boy name dates back to 1986, when 8 babies received it. 1986 was its biggest year on record, with 8 newborns named Sheriff — #4,853 in the national rankings. About 45% of every Sheriff on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. Sheriff last appeared in the published SSA data in 2023, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 102 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Sheriff

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

Sherrif
Sherriff
Sherif
Shareef
Shereef
Sheriffs
Shera
Shruff
Tariff
Shira
Shirah
Schirra

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sheriff

What does the name Sheriff mean?

Sheriff is a boy's name that has been used in U.S. records since 1986. Behind the Name doesn't list a specific etymology, but the name has remained in use across multiple decades.

How popular is Sheriff in 2026?

In 2026, Sheriff ranks #12,230 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Sheriff most popular?

Sheriff reached its peak popularity in 1986, ranking #4,853 that year with 8 babies given the name.

Is Sheriff a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Sheriff?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Sheriff include Delia, Gaudencio, Terriel. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Sheriff

Sheriff is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1986 and has accumulated 102 births in the dataset. Sheriff's peak popularity came in 1986 when it ranked #4,853. Use the chart and map above to compare Sheriff'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.