A 1880s favorite, climbing again.
Popularity of Sheppard since 1880
Babies named Sheppard per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2025, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Sheppard's real moment was 1880.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 |
| 1890s | 0 |
| 1900s | 0 |
| 1910s | 36 |
| 1920s | 51 |
| 1930s | 30 |
| 1940s | 40 |
| 1950s | 74 |
| 1960s | 26 |
| 1970s | 24 |
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 6 |
| 2000s | 60 |
| 2010s | 164 |
| 2020s | 195 |
Meaning & origin
Sheppard is an English occupational surname turned given name, derived from Old English 'sceaphierde' meaning 'shepherd.' First recorded in U.S. data in 1880, it ranked 3,036th in 2025 and was given to about 1 in 42,702 boys that year. Its peak year was 1880, though the name has been rising in usage since 1998. The variant spelling 'Sheppard' is more common than 'Shephard' but less so than 'Shepherd.' The name fits into the broader trend of surname-first-names such as Carter and Cooper.
Derived from the Old English 'sceaphierde', composed of 'sceap' (sheep) and 'hierde' (herder). It originated as an occupational surname before transitioning to occasional use as a given name. The spelling 'Sheppard' is a variant of the more common 'Shepherd'.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Shep
Sibling names for Sheppard
Names that share Sheppard's style, for a brother or sister.
