Sheldrick
A masculine name possibly derived from the Old English word "scealdric" meaning "spread rule".
Name Census estimates that about 34 living Americans carry the first name Sheldrick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sheldrick today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sheldrick births was 1976 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sheldrick. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sheldrick. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
34
~ 1 in 10,081,010 Americans
Peak year
1976
7 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1999 SSA rank
#9,720
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Sheldrick: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sheldrick from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 25 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sheldrick by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sheldrick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sheldrick
The given name Sheldrick is believed to have originated from the Old English words "scield" meaning shield, and "ric" meaning power or rule. This suggests the name may have its roots in Anglo-Saxon culture, likely referring to someone who was a powerful warrior or leader.
Variations of the name Sheldrick have been found in ancient records dating back to the 7th century AD, during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain. Some of the earliest known spellings include Sceldric, Scildric, and Scyldric.
One of the earliest known historical figures with this name was Sheldrick the Thane, a nobleman and military leader who served under King Aethelred the Unready in the late 10th century. Sheldrick played a significant role in the defense of England against Viking invasions.
Another notable Sheldrick was a Benedictine monk who lived in the 11th century. He was known for his expertise in the study of herbs and medicinal plants, and his contributions to the development of early medical practices.
In the 13th century, a man named Sheldrick of Canterbury was a prominent architect and stonemason. He is credited with the design and construction of several notable churches and cathedrals in England during that time.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian artist named Sheldrick da Vinci, born in 1452 and died in 1519, was a skilled painter and sculptor. Although not as renowned as his contemporary Leonardo da Vinci, some of his works can still be found in museums across Italy.
In more recent history, Sheldrick Redwine was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Born in 1841, he served in the Union Army and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
People
Sheldrick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sheldrick as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sheldrick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sheldrick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 34 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sheldrick going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 10,081,010 US residents.
Is Sheldrick a common name?
We classify Sheldrick as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 36 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sheldrick most popular?
The single biggest year for Sheldrick was 1976, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sheldrick is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sheldrick in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sheldrick a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sheldrick in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sheldrick still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sheldrick in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sheldrick can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Sheldrick?
You can see how many people share the name Sheldrick on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.