Cheryl
Girl name · #4367 in 2025 · Uniqueness 75/100
Cheryl is currently the #4367 girl name in the United States — 32 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #3024, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 56,250 girls born in 2025 was named Cheryl.
Babies named Cheryl per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 116-year story
Cheryl first appears in the Social Security records in 1909, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1958, when 24,119 girls were named Cheryl — good for #13 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Cheryl against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Cheryl in class?
Cheryl scores 75 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Cheryl will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Cheryl is most common
State-level data for Cheryl is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Cheryl
Statistically, parents drawn to Cheryl tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Carmel, Connie, Doreen, Maureen, and Carol.
CarmelConnieDoreenMaureenCarolDebraVickyKathy
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Cheryl | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 32 | #4352 |
| 2024 | 37 | #3963 |
| 2023 | 31 | #4454 |
| 2022 | 44 | #3536 |
| 2021 | 49 | #3250 |
| 2020 | 30 | #4453 |
| 2019 | 41 | #3665 |
| 2018 | 57 | #2905 |
| 2017 | 56 | #2925 |
| 2016 | 73 | #2479 |
| 2015 | 56 | #3024 |
| 2014 | 58 | #2922 |
| 2013 | 55 | #3005 |
| 2012 | 72 | #2516 |
| 2011 | 65 | #2695 |
| 2010 | 79 | #2386 |
| 2009 | 64 | #2779 |
| 2008 | 91 | #2184 |
| 2007 | 86 | #2257 |
| 2006 | 87 | #2206 |
| 2005 | 103 | #1878 |
| 2004 | 116 | #1667 |
| 2003 | 115 | #1668 |
| 2002 | 104 | #1744 |
| 2001 | 143 | #1340 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Cheryl a popular girl name?
Cheryl ranked #4367 among girls in 2025 with 32 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3024.
When was the name Cheryl most popular?
Cheryl peaked in 1958, when 24,119 American girls received the name (ranked #13 that year). Since 1958 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Cheryl?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 56,250 newborn American girls was named Cheryl. It scores 75/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.