Shepherd
Shepherd was the 246th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,408 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 863 places. More babies were named Shepherd in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning shepherd · English, Old English
Say it SHEP-erd /ˈʃɛpərd/
- Rank in 2025
- #246 boys, up 349 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,408boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,408 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,815babies recorded
What does the name Shepherd mean?
Shepherd is an English occupational surname for someone who looked after sheep, from Old English scēaphierde, "sheep herder". Wiktionary records it as a surname and as an occasional male given name. Its recent use as a first name also draws on the Christian image of Christ as the Good Shepherd.
scēap (Old English, “sheep”)hierde (Old English, “herdsman”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Shep, Shepard, Sheppard.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Shepherd', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'shepherd', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'shepherd', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Shepherd
The usual nicknames for Shepherd are Shep.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shep · also for Shepard | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Shepherds go by each one.
Shepherd popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 30 since 2011, 8 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #246 | 1,408 |
| 2020 | #595 | 463 |
| 2010 | #1,564 | 102 |
| 2000 | #8,097 | 8 |
| 1990 | #7,967 | 6 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | #2,720 | 13 |
| 1960 | #3,990 | 6 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | #3,870 | 5 |
| 1930 | #3,256 | 8 |
| 1920 | #2,737 | 11 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Shepherd, counting every spelling?
Shepherd is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #260 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #246 for Shepherd on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,424 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd | 1,408 | #246 | 4,473 |
| Shephard | 16 | #5,814 | 47 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Shepherd?
1,408 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Shepherd (0.39 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Shepherd 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 6 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Shepherd.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Shepherd?
About 7,500 people born in the US named Shepherd are alive today, with a median age of 4; half are between 2 and 8. That makes Shepherd a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Shepherd by state
How common Shepherd was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alabama (3.3×), Tennessee (3.3×), Oklahoma (3.1×), Kentucky (3.0×), Arkansas (2.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Shepherd: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Shepherd, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Shepherd · Sibling names for Shepherd
Questions about the name Shepherd
What does Shepherd mean?
Shepherd means “shepherd” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Shepherd?
Shepherd was the 246th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,408 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 863 places. More babies were named Shepherd in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Shepherd a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Shepherd in the US.
Where is Shepherd most popular?
In 2021–2025, Shepherd was most common in Alabama (1.72 per 1,000 boys), followed by Tennessee and Oklahoma.