girl's name
Cheryl
SHER-ul
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 446,517
Scotland
#902
2012 births
Cheryl is a girl's name coined in twentieth-century America, probably by blending Cherie with Beryl. It belongs to a distinct group of 1950s American girls' names that collapsed hardest of anything we hold — it fell from 24,178 births to 32.
- Cheryl is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1958, when 24,178 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 103,605 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1909.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Cheryl over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 |
| 1910s | 70 |
| 1920s | 268 |
| 1930s | 1,305 |
| 1940s | 71,098 |
| 1950s | 171,679 |
| 1960s | 136,001 |
| 1970s | 40,532 |
| 1980s | 14,364 |
| 1990s | 3,324 |
| 2000s | 1,036 |
| 2010s | 612 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 223 |
What Cheryl means
Cheryl is generally given as darling or beloved, on the assumption that it was built from the French chérie. The name is a modern coinage, so the meaning is inferred from its likely parts rather than inherited.
Where Cheryl comes from
Cheryl appears in American records in the early twentieth century with no earlier history, and the usual explanation is a blend of Cherie, from the French chérie meaning darling, with Beryl, the gemstone name then in fashion. Neither parent is certain and the name may simply have been assembled for its sound. What is clear is its shape in the data: it belongs to a tight cluster of American girls' names — Debra, Cathy, Peggy, Gail, Debbie, Cheryl, Rhonda, Tammy — that rose fast in the 1950s and early 60s on sound rather than tradition, and then fell further than anything else we record.
Cheryl in use
Cheryl peaked in the United States in 1958, when 24,178 babies were registered, and now ranks 4386th there on 32 births and 4512th in England and Wales. That is a fall by a factor of roughly 756, the sixth-steepest in our data among American names with a peak above 10,000. Every one of the eight steepest belongs to the same cohort: mid-century American girls' names, several of them pet forms, adopted quickly and abandoned just as quickly across 446,517 lifetime births.
How popular is Cheryl?
In 2025, Cheryl was given to 32 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Cheryl is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Cheryl is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Chéryl | Chéryl is a rare spelling of Cheryl, written with an acute accent and recorded about 65 times, mostly in France. | 65 |
Names that peaked alongside Cheryl
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cheryl also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cheryl over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Cheryl
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Cheryl in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Cheryl
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cheryl — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cheryl
What does the name Cheryl mean?
Usually given as darling, on the assumption it blends the French chérie with Beryl. It is a modern coinage, so the meaning is inferred.
Why did Cheryl decline so sharply?
It fell from 24,178 births in 1958 to 32 — a factor of 756, and one of the eight steepest falls in our data, all from the same mid-century cohort.
Is it Cheryl or Sheryl?
Both are used; Cheryl is the more common spelling in our data.
How popular is Cheryl?
4386th in the United States on 32 births.
Is Cheryl a girl's or a boy's name?
Cheryl is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Cheryl?
Cheryl has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Cheryl?
Cheryl is usually shortened to Cher.
Is Cheryl a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cheryl currently ranks #3,182 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.