Boys' name · peaked in 2025
Sterling name popularity since 1925
37,462 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Sterling (9.8% girls, 90.2% boys). Half of them were born in 1994 or earlier, so the typical Sterling is about 32 years old in 2026. Sterling peaked in 2025 as the #346 name for boys, and it ranked #346 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 37,462
- Named Sterling, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #346
- for boys in 2025 (944 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 90.2% boys
- 3,680 girls · 33,782 boys
- Most popular in
- Utah
- 3.98× its national share
Peak year is the year Sterling made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Sterling births per year, 1925–2025
2025 was the biggest year for Sterling both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Steepest fall: Between 2001 and 2006, Sterling's share of baby boys fell by 35%, from 1 in 4,920 to 1 in 7,610.
- Fastest rise: Between 2009 and 2014, it became 2.5× more common, from 1 in 8,590 baby boys to 1 in 3,480.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Sterling's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Sterling.
Decade by decade
Babies named Sterling in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 18 | 1,202 | – |
| 1930s | 26 | 1,904 | #413 |
| 1940s | 49 | 2,334 | #410 |
| 1950s | 27 | 2,570 | #457 |
| 1960s | 48 | 2,496 | #523 |
| 1970s | 111 | 2,072 | #600 |
| 1980s | 257 | 2,968 | #527 |
| 1990s | 569 | 4,709 | #446 |
| 2000s | 549 | 3,027 | #743 |
| 2010s | 934 | 5,464 | #493 |
| 2020–25 | 1,092 | 5,036 | #346 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
30.4% of babies named Sterling from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Sterling is most popular
The index compares Sterling's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Sterling.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | 3.98× | 1,051 |
| Louisiana | 2.11× | 1,173 |
| Virginia | 2.02× | 1,416 |
| Arizona | 1.73× | 695 |
| Texas | 1.68× | 4,084 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Sterling's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Sterling.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Sterling (2025).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data