Sherlock
Sherlock is a name with a single cultural origin: Literature.
- Literature
Meaning & Origin of Sherlock
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Sherlock is a name with a single cultural origin: Literature.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Literature
The Story of Sherlock
American parents first put Sherlock on the record books as a baby boy name in 1930, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2017, when 12 Sherlocks were born — ranking #6,683 that year. About 63% of every Sherlock on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Sherlock last appeared in the published SSA data in 2022, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 78 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1930s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Sherlock
Phonetically similar names — useful when Sherlock is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Shylock
- Schlock
- Srock
- Shlock
- Schrock
- Sherlocks
- Oarlock
- Shriek
- Shrek
- Shirley
- Shreck
- Shrike
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sherlock
What does the name Sherlock mean?
What is the origin of the name Sherlock?
How popular is Sherlock in 2026?
When was Sherlock most popular?
Is Sherlock a unisex name?
What names go well with Sherlock?
About the name Sherlock
Sherlock is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1930 and has accumulated 78 births in the dataset. Sherlock's peak popularity came in 2017 when it ranked #6,683. Use the chart and map above to compare Sherlock's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2017 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- 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.