boy's name
Shepherd
SHEP-erd
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 8,028
the United States
#246
2025 births
Shepherd is a boy's name of English origin, the occupational surname for someone who tended sheep. It comes from the Old English sceap and hierde, a herder, and carries a pastoral and biblical weight that most trade names do not.
- Shepherd is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,416 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,341 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Shepherd over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 16 |
| 1910s | 61 |
| 1920s | 90 |
| 1930s | 25 |
| 1940s | 64 |
| 1950s | 55 |
| 1960s | 60 |
| 1970s | 48 |
| 1980s | 15 |
| 1990s | 57 |
| 2000s | 289 |
| 2010s | 2,074 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,961 |
What Shepherd means
Shepherd means one who herds sheep. Beyond the literal trade the word carries a long metaphorical sense of guardianship and guidance, which is what most families choosing it today are reaching for.
Where Shepherd comes from
Shepherd comes from the Old English sceaphierde, joining sceap, a sheep, to hierde, a herdsman. Wool was England's dominant export for centuries and the shepherd was a common and essential figure, producing one of the most frequent occupational surnames in the language. Its second life is religious: the shepherd is a governing image in both testaments, from the twenty-third Psalm to the parable of the lost sheep, and the word pastor is simply the Latin for shepherd. As a first name it is a modern revival, part of the same wave that returned Hunter, Fletcher and Cooper to use.
Shepherd in use
Shepherd charts in only three of the seven countries we track and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Shepherd?
In 2025, Shepherd was given to 1,416 babies in the United States, ranking #246 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Shepherd 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 Shepherd
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Shepherd also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Shepherd over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Shepherd
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.
Shepherd 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 Shepherd
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Shepherd — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Shepherd
What does the name Shepherd mean?
One who herds sheep, from the Old English sceap and hierde.
What is the difference between Shepherd and Shepard?
Shepherd is the word spelling and Shepard is the usual surname spelling. Both are used as first names and sound identical.
Is Shepherd a biblical name?
Not a biblical personal name, but the shepherd is one of the central images of both testaments, and that is where much of the name's appeal comes from.
How popular is the name Shepherd?
In 2025, Shepherd was given to 1,416 babies in the United States, ranking #246 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Shepherd a girl's or a boy's name?
Shepherd is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Shepherd?
Shepherd has 2 syllables.
When was Shepherd most popular?
Shepherd peaked in 2025, when 1,416 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Shepherd?
Shepherd is usually shortened to Shep.
Is Shepherd a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Shepherd currently ranks #246 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.