Sheldon

Sheldon: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“steep valley”
Origin
Old English
Say it
SHEL-dən · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

From an English surname and place name derived from Old English elements, usually interpreted as 'steep valley' or similar terrain-based senses. It later became a given name.

How popular is Sheldon?

202424.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Sheldon in 202480

2024 rank#1,950 boys

Peak year1934

Total US babies since 188037,122

Sheldon is fading: recent use is about 42% of its level ten years before.

Names like Sheldon

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Wesleywestern meadow · Old English
  • Westonwestern settlement · Old English
  • Blakeblack; pale · Old English
  • Oakleyoak clearing · Old English
  • Edwardwealthy guardian · Old English
  • Ashtonash tree town · Old English
  • Kingstonking's town · Old English
  • Brandonbroom-covered hill · Old English

Sheldon questions

What does the name Sheldon mean?

Sheldon means "steep valley". It comes from Old English. From an English surname and place name derived from Old English elements, usually interpreted as 'steep valley' or similar terrain-based senses. It later became a given name.

Is Sheldon a boy or girl name?

Sheldon is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Sheldon?

80 US babies were named Sheldon in 2024. Its peak year was 1934.

How do you pronounce Sheldon?

Sheldon is usually pronounced SHEL-dən.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.