Given name & surname · also Middle English
Sterling
“one who is highly valued”
Sterling is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who is highly valued.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who is highly valued.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Middle 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.
Sterling through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 41,197
- 37,474 boys · 3,723 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 1,162 babies
- 2025
- 1,162
- #346 for boys · #1,100 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +22%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 83% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 944 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 346 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 218 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (142). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 23,791 as a first name in 2020; 25,411 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.
Sterling’s family of names
In English usage, Sterling shares an earlier linguistic root with Stirling. Sterling has a related form in Sterlyn. Sterling has a related form in Sterlyng.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Sterling
- Sterling HaydenAmerican actor (1916–1986)
- Sterling K. BrownAmerican actorborn 1976
- Sterling KnightAmerican actor, singer, songwriter, director, comedian and musicianborn 1989
- Sterling HollowayAmerican actor (1905–1992)
- Sterling PriceAmerican politician and Confederate States Army general in the Civil War (1809–1867)
- Corey GravesAmerican professional wrestlerborn 1984
- Sterling BeaumonAmerican actorborn 1995
- Sterling JerinsAmerican actressborn 2004
- Scoot HendersonAmerican basketball player (born 2004)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Sterling, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Eidan
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69% boys · 31% girls
Everett
“as strong as a boar; as brave as a boar”
98% boys · 2% girls