How common is the surname Sherman?

70,502 people in the United States had the surname Sherman in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 4,379 Americans. It ranked 469th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Sherman?

James S. Sherman, American politician and Vice President of the United States from 1909 to 1912 (1855–1912), followed by Cindy Sherman.

Where is the surname Sherman most common?

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

How do you pronounce Sherman?

Sherman is /ˈʃɜː(ɹ)mən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Sherman getting more or less common?

More common. 69,840 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 70,502 in 2010, up 0.9%.

Is Sherman also a first name?

Yes. Sherman is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Sherman

An English occupational surname, carried by 70,502 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈʃɜː(ɹ)mən/ 2 syllables Soundex S655 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Sherman is more common than 99.7% of them.

Origin

English origin

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

Sherman is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 70,502 people named Sherman in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 4,379 Americans. That is up 0.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 69,840.

#469

rank among US surnames

70,502

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+0.9%

change since 2000 (was #422)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#460	Todd	71,759	4,303
#461	Wu	71,721	4,305
#462	Hines	71,717	4,305
#463	Mullins	71,646	4,309
#464	Castaneda	71,368	4,326
#465	Malone	71,286	4,331
#466	Cannon	71,085	4,343

Who is named Sherman

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

83% of people named Sherman identified as white (not Hispanic), 12% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Shermans

25 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1966
Lowell Sherman
Actor, director (1885-1934)
Bobby Sherman
American singer and actor, 1943–2025
Patsy O'Connell Sherman
American chemist, 1930–2008

Notable Shermans come mostly from the United States (24) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Sherman

Sherman has the Soundex code S655, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S655.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Sherman come from?: (English surname): From Middle English schereman, scherman; equivalent to shear + -man.
How common is the surname Sherman?: 70,502 people in the United States had the surname Sherman in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 4,379 Americans. It ranked 469th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Sherman?: In the 2010 Census, 83% of people named Sherman identified as white (not Hispanic), and 12% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Sherman?: James S. Sherman, American politician and Vice President of the United States from 1909 to 1912 (1855–1912), followed by Cindy Sherman.
Where is the surname Sherman most common?: Wikidata records people named Sherman in the United States and Australia.
How do you pronounce Sherman?: Sherman is /ˈʃɜː(ɹ)mən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Sherman?: Sherman is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Sherman getting more or less common?: More common. 69,840 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 70,502 in 2010, up 0.9%.
Is Sherman also a first name?: Yes. Sherman is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.