boy's name
Shem
- Gender Boy
- Letters 4
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 870
Shem is a boy's name. In 2025 it was given to 10 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 1976, when 23 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 331,565 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1954.
Shem over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 |
| 1960s | 36 |
| 1970s | 161 |
| 1980s | 123 |
| 1990s | 110 |
| 2000s | 113 |
| 2010s | 130 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 77 |
How popular is Shem?
In 2025, Shem was given to 10 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Shem 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.
Names that peaked alongside Shem
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Shem also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Shem over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Shem
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Shem — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Shem
How popular is the name Shem?
In 2025, Shem was given to 10 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Shem a girl's or a boy's name?
Shem is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Shem most popular?
Shem peaked in 1976, when 23 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Shem a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Shem currently ranks #7,892 in the United States. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.