Given name & surname · also Arabic
Sham
Sham is a surname from Arabic, ultimately from French.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Sham comes from Arabic, and ultimately from French.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Arabic شَام (šām), from French Cham; its root is Arabic ش ء م.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1972. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Sham through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 276
- 36 boys · 240 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 33 babies
- 2025
- 25
- #5,212 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 25 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 5,212 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 24.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 33 in 2018. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 918 as a first name in 2020; 776 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Sham’s family of names
Sham may belong to the same name family as SHAMM. This is a tentative spelling connection.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Sham, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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