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Home › Baby Names Directory › Sheldon

Sheldon

♂ Boy

Pronounced SHEHL-duhn /ˈʃɛl.dən/Medium

Meaning: Valley with steep sidesMedium

In 30 seconds: Sheldon is an English name meaning 'valley with steep sides', born from the landscape.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningValley with steep sides
U.S. rank (2025)#2788 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births46 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1992
Total births (all-time)≈ 36,672

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199218812025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Sheldon began as an English place and surname meaning 'valley with steep sides', describing the terrain it named. Like many English topographic names, it moved from the land to the family name and then to a first name. The physicist Sheldon Lee Glashow, a Nobel laureate, is a notable bearer.

Its three steady syllables give it a settled, classic-American feel. The name works as a full given name with the easy short form Shel built in.

Did you know? Sheldon likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Sheldon — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Sheldon Lee Glashow (1932–present)
    Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979.
  • ★Sheldon Souray (1976–present)
    Male public figure listed on Behind the Name.

If you like Sheldon…

Stratton— lands in the same popularity range
Shannon— shares the -on ending
Cashton— another English name
Bronson— shares the -on ending
Leighton— a fellow English choice

Explore names like Sheldon

By themeenglishsurname-style
By meaningEarth / Nature

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Sheldon mean?

Sheldon is usually explained as meaning 'valley with steep sides' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Sheldon?

It's commonly said SHEHL-duhn /ˈʃɛl.dən/.

Is Sheldon a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Sheldon is used as a boy name.

How popular is Sheldon?

In 2024, Sheldon ranked #1961 in the U.S. for boys, with 80 births recorded.

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