Fun Facts About the Name Shepard
- More than 3 thousand babies named Shepard: U.S. records list 3,718 babies given the name Shepard from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Shepard - about 1 girl for every 743 boys.
What Does the Name Shepard Mean?
Shepard is an English occupational name meaning "sheep herder." It is a variant spelling of Shepherd, from Middle English shepherde, which developed from Old English scēaphierde. That Old English word combines scēap "sheep" and hierde "herdsman" or "guardian." The literal sense is someone who tends sheep. In Christian tradition, "shepherd" later took on a figurative meaning of a spiritual guide or pastor, but that symbolic use is separate from the name's occupational origin.
Shepard Name History & Origins
The name comes from the common medieval occupation of sheep herding. Old English scēaphierde passed into Middle English as shepherde and related spellings such as schepherde and shepard. As surnames became hereditary in England, men who worked as shepherds or who were known by that role could pass down a surname in one of these forms. Shepard is one established spelling of that surname, alongside Shepherd and Sheppard.
The surname was carried to North America by English-speaking colonists. Like many English surnames, Shepard later became a given name through the practice of using family names as first names. Notable bearers include the American playwright Sam Shepard and the astronaut Alan Shepard; their fame reflects the name's modern use, not its origin. In recent popular culture, the surname is also associated with Commander Shepard of the Mass Effect video games, a fictional use distinct from the name's historical development.
How Popular is the Name Shepard?
Shepard recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #892 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #18,877 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #892 | 268 | 0.0157% |
| 2024 | #940 | 244 | 0.0142% |
| 2023 | #954 | 237 | 0.0139% |
| 2022 | #916 | 253 | 0.0145% |
| 2021 | #965 | 233 | 0.0133% |
| 2020 | #921 | 243 | 0.0141% |
| 2019 | #1,032 | 202 | 0.0113% |
| 2018 | #967 | 215 | 0.0118% |
| 2017 | #926 | 228 | 0.0123% |
| 2016 | #1,044 | 190 | 0.0100% |
| 2015 | #1,459 | 116 | 0.0061% |
| 2014 | #1,854 | 80 | 0.0042% |
| 2013 | #2,220 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2012 | #2,101 | 65 | 0.0034% |
| 2011 | #2,282 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 2010 | #2,117 | 64 | 0.0033% |
| 2009 | #2,071 | 67 | 0.0034% |
| 2008 | #2,232 | 60 | 0.0029% |
| 2007 | #3,497 | 31 | 0.0015% |
| 2006 | #2,690 | 44 | 0.0021% |
| 2005 | #3,307 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2004 | #4,386 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #2,719 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2002 | #5,097 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #5,095 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #10,158 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #11,347 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #8,317 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #10,577 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #8,849 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #10,094 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #10,026 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,299 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #9,029 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1985 | #5,679 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,110 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #7,217 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #5,407 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #5,945 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #4,522 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #4,361 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #6,206 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #5,767 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #4,907 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #5,336 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #4,337 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #4,448 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #2,955 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1964 | #2,298 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1962 | #3,270 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #2,523 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1960 | #3,045 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #3,562 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #2,487 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1957 | #2,801 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1956 | #3,170 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1955 | #2,730 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1954 | #3,419 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #2,271 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1952 | #3,071 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #2,356 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #3,279 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1949 | #2,987 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1948 | #2,976 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #2,061 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1946 | #3,479 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #3,284 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #2,836 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1943 | #2,539 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1942 | #3,972 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #2,319 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1940 | #1,619 | 19 | 0.0016% |
| 1939 | #2,795 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1938 | #2,464 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1937 | #3,482 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1936 | #2,599 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1934 | #2,242 | 12 | 0.0012% |
| 1932 | #3,328 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #1,833 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1930 | #2,159 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1929 | #3,216 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #3,049 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1927 | #2,510 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1926 | #2,708 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1925 | #2,416 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1924 | #2,996 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1923 | #2,011 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1922 | #4,862 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1921 | #2,361 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1920 | #2,211 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1919 | #2,373 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1918 | #2,148 | 15 | 0.0015% |
| 1917 | #2,078 | 15 | 0.0016% |
| 1915 | #2,287 | 12 | 0.0014% |
| 1914 | #2,615 | 8 | 0.0012% |
| 1912 | #1,867 | 9 | 0.0021% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Shepard Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Shepard's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Shepard's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.