Given name & surname · also Old English
Sherman
“one who cuts wool cloth”
Sherman is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who cuts wool cloth.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who cuts wool cloth.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Sherman through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 39,393
- 39,190 boys · 203 girls
- Most popular year
- 1951
- 644 babies
- 2025
- 19
- #5,169 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −38%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 19 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,169 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 38.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 635 in 1950. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,698 as a first name in 2020; 66,346 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.
Sherman’s family of names
Sherman has a related form in Sharman. Sherman has a related form in Shermon. Sherman has a related form in Scherman.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Sherman
- Sherman AlexieAmerican author and filmmakerborn 1966
- Sherman HemsleyAmerican actor (1938–2012)
- Sherman HowardAmerican actorborn 1949
- Sherman MintonUS Supreme Court justice from 1949 to 19561890–1965
- Sherm ClarkAmerican coxswain and Read Admiral of the United States Navy (1899-1980)
- Sherman Adams67th governor of New Hampshire (1899-1986)
- Sherman DouglasAmerican basketball player (born 1966)
- Sherman CárdenasColombian footballerborn 1989
- Sherman HamiltonCanadian basketball player (born 1972)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Sherman, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sherwin
“a bright friend”
>99% boys
Stanton
“from the stone town”
>99% boys
Artis
“lofty hill; noble” · “rock”
94% boys · 6% girls
Derwin
“a friend of the deer; a gifted friend”
>99% boys
Truman
“one who is loyal”
>99% boys
Shelton
“from the farm on the ledge”
>99% boys
Sherwood
“from the bright forest”
>99% boys
Stanford
“from the stony ford”
>99% boys