# Sherman (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/sherman/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English surname originating as an occupation for a sheep-shearer.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 70,502 |
| US rank (2010) | 469 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 4,379 people |
| Change since 2000 | +0.9% (69,840 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈʃɜː(ɹ)mən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

(English surname): From Middle English schereman, scherman; equivalent to shear + -man.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Sherman in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 83% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 12% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Sherman in the United States and Australia.

## People named Sherman

- James S. Sherman, American politician and Vice President of the United States from 1909 to 1912 (1855–1912)
- Cindy Sherman, American photographer (born 1954)
- John Sherman, American cabinet secretary and senator (1823–1900)
- Vincent Sherman, American film director (1906–2006)
- Jack Sherman, American guitarist (1956-2020)
- Richard M. Sherman, American composer (1928-2024)
- Brad Sherman, American politician in California (born 1954)
- Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter (1925–2012)
- Amy Sherman-Palladino, American television writer, director, and producer
- Lowell Sherman, actor, director (1885-1934)
- Bobby Sherman, American singer and actor
- Patsy O'Connell Sherman, American chemist

and 13 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Sharman, Shireman, Schurman, Sirmans, Scheuerman, Scheuermann, Schuerman, Sermeno, Sarmiento, Sarinana.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.