Baby Names ExplorerMeaning-first search across thousands of names

Name profile

BoyEnglishLong

Sherlock

Used by Scottish author Arthur Conan Doyle for his character Sherlock Holmes, who was a detective in Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.

PronunciationAmerican English /ˈʃɜɹ.ˌlɑk/; British English /ˈʃɜː.ˌlɒk/
Usage languagesLiterature
US rank (2022)#12,330

Meaning and history

Used by Scottish author Arthur Conan Doyle for his detective character Sherlock Holmes in mystery stories beginning in 1887, the name comes from an English surname meaning “shear lock,” originally referring to a person with closely cut hair.

Popularity over timeUS births · boys
20032003: no US SSA record for this spelling
2004: no US SSA record for this spelling
2005: no US SSA record for this spelling
2006: no US SSA record for this spelling
2007: no US SSA record for this spelling
20082008: no US SSA record for this spelling
2009: no US SSA record for this spelling
2010: no US SSA record for this spelling
2011: no US SSA record for this spelling
2012: 6 births, rank #10,770
20132013: no US SSA record for this spelling
2014: 8 births, rank #8,781
2015: 9 births, rank #8,040
2016: 8 births, rank #8,816
2017: 12 births, rank #6,685
20182018: no US SSA record for this spelling
2019: 6 births, rank #10,803
2020: no US SSA record for this spelling
2021: no US SSA record for this spelling
20222022: 5 births, rank #12,330

In 2022, 5 babies were recorded with the name Sherlock, ranking #12,330 among boys.

Privacy choices

Baby Names Explorer can show non-personalized Google Ads by default. The shortlist stays on your device only when you choose to save names, and your ad choice is remembered locally.

Analytics cookies are enabled by default outside Europe unless you turn them off. In the EEA, UK, and Switzerland they remain disabled until you confirm this choice. See the policies page for more detail.