Cheryl
Cheryl was the 4376th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 32 babies. Its best year was 1958, when it ranked 13th with 24,119 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,341 places. More babies were named Cheryl in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning 20th-century coinage (Cherie/Cherry + Beryl) · American English, French
Say it SHAIR-ul /ˈʃɛɹəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #4,376 girls, up 96 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 32girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195824,119 babies
- Total since 1880
- 440,517babies recorded
What does the name Cheryl mean?
Cheryl was coined in the early 20th century, possibly as a blend of Cherie or Cherry with Beryl, as Wiktionary notes. Cherie is French chérie 'darling', and Beryl is the name of a gemstone. It became very popular in the US in the 1940s and 1950s. Its meaning is that of its parts rather than an inherited one.
chérie (French, “darling”)beryl (English, “a gemstone”)
How sure is this? Probable. The blend is Wiktionary's 'possibly'.
Related names: Sheryl, Cherie, Sherry, Beryl.
See also: American names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cheryl', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Cheryl
The usual nicknames for Cheryl are Cher.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cher | Traditional | — | 6 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Cheryls go by each one.
Cheryl popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 978 since 1939.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,376 | 32 |
| 2020 | #4,472 | 30 |
| 2010 | #2,390 | 79 |
| 2000 | #1,449 | 127 |
| 1990 | #415 | 615 |
| 1980 | #119 | 2,609 |
| 1970 | #44 | 7,440 |
| 1960 | #17 | 19,120 |
| 1950 | #29 | 11,823 |
| 1940 | #410 | 284 |
| 1930 | #1,145 | 42 |
| 1920 | #2,614 | 13 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Cheryl, counting every spelling?
Cheryl has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Cheryl?
32 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cheryl (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Cheryl born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 261 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cheryl.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cheryl?
About 355,300 people born in the US named Cheryl are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 60 and 72. That makes Cheryl a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cheryl by state
How common Cheryl was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 47 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cheryl: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cheryl, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Cheryl · Sibling names for Cheryl
Questions about the name Cheryl
What does Cheryl mean?
Cheryl means “20th-century coinage (Cherie/Cherry + Beryl)” (American English, French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Cheryl?
Cheryl was the 4376th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 32 babies. Its best year was 1958, when it ranked 13th with 24,119 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,341 places. More babies were named Cheryl in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Cheryl a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Cheryl in the US.
Where is Cheryl most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cheryl was most common in Michigan (0.03 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and California.