Sharon
Sharon was the 1256th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 179 babies. Its best year was 1943, when it ranked 8th; the most babies were born in 1947 (28,533). Over the last ten years it has moved down 273 places. More babies were named Sharon in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning the Sharon plain · Hebrew
Say it SHAIR-un /ˈʃɛɹən/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,256 girls, down 112 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 179girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 194728,533 babies
- Total since 1880
- 726,130babies recorded
What does the name Sharon mean?
Sharon is a biblical place name, the coastal plain of Sharon in Israel (Hebrew Sharon), as Wiktionary notes. The 'rose of Sharon' in Song of Songs 2:1 made it a symbol of beauty, and the name was first used by Puritans and later as a girls' name in the 20th century, peaking in the US in the 1940s. The Hebrew word is usually connected with a root meaning 'plain, level ground'.
שָׁרוֹן (Sharon) (Biblical Hebrew, “the Sharon plain”)
How sure is this? Well established. The plain's name is clear; the root meaning 'level ground' is the usual explanation.
Related names: Sharona, Sharron, Sharyn.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Sharon', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Hebrew Bible, Song of Songs 2:1 (Sefaria, with JPS translation), Sefaria
Nicknames for Sharon
The usual nicknames for Sharon are Shari and Shay. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Sharon in the last five years, 134 were named Shay, against 25 twenty years earlier.
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Sharons go by each one.
Sharon popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 3,106 since 1902.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,256 | 179 |
| 2020 | #1,144 | 208 |
| 2010 | #802 | 342 |
| 2000 | #421 | 671 |
| 1990 | #274 | 1,008 |
| 1980 | #129 | 2,383 |
| 1970 | #37 | 9,177 |
| 1960 | #16 | 20,414 |
| 1950 | #11 | 24,612 |
| 1940 | #17 | 11,121 |
| 1930 | #289 | 523 |
| 1920 | #1,541 | 29 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | #2,190 | 5 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Sharon, counting every spelling?
Sharon has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,193 for girls in 2025, against #1,256 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Sharon?
179 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sharon (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Sharon 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 47 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sharon.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sharon?
About 532,600 people born in the US named Sharon are alive today, with a median age of 69; half are between 62 and 77. That makes Sharon 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.
Sharon by state
How common Sharon was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Pennsylvania (1.7×), New York (1.6×), New Jersey (1.5×). In 29 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 Sharon: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sharon, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Sharon · Sibling names for Sharon
Questions about the name Sharon
What does Sharon mean?
Sharon means “the Sharon plain” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Sharon?
Sharon was the 1256th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 179 babies. Its best year was 1943, when it ranked 8th; the most babies were born in 1947 (28,533). Over the last ten years it has moved down 273 places. More babies were named Sharon in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Sharon a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Sharon in the US.
Where is Sharon most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sharon was most common in Pennsylvania (0.20 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and New Jersey.