How Many People Are Named Shem?
An estimated 716 people in the United States have the first name Shem. It is predominantly male (99.3%). The average bearer is 31 years old, and Shem peaked in popularity in 1976 with 23 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shem as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Shem paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
716
About 1 in 478,707 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
99.3% confidence
Average Age
31
years old
Peak Year
1976
23 births
Total Registered
745
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shem
Shem is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 745 total births registered, 99.3% were male.
Shem as a male name
Ranked #6,750 in 2024
13 male births in 2024
Peak: 1976 (23 births)
Shem as a female name
Ranked #9,096 in 1970
5 female births in 1970
Peak: 1970 (5 births)
Shem: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shem span from the 1950s to the 2020s, covering 8 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 161 babies were registered. While Shem is less common than at its peak in the 1970s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Shem by Decade
How has Shem tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Shem by State
Birth registrations for Shem span all 3 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Utah, California. The lowest are in California, Utah, New York. On average, about 10 Shems were registered per state.
Shem + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shem as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shem
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shem: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shem?
We estimate approximately 716 people named Shem are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 478,707 Americans share this first name.
Is Shem a common name?
Shem is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 87.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 745 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shem most popular?
Shem reached peak popularity in 1976, when 23 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shem is approximately 31 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Shem a male name?
Shem is predominantly male. 99.3% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Shem Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shem Smith, Shem Johnson, Shem Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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