Sterling

Did you know?

A few things about Sterling you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Sterling

Sterling K. Brown

American actor

Choose Sterling and your child shares a first name with Sterling K. Brown, an American actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Sterling, like who?” Sterling K. Brown's Wikipedia article is available in 37 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Sterling K. Brown on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,809 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Sterling, 944 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Sterling would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistorySterling has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Sterlings, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1895, when it reached #305.
• 📈Then vs nowSterling is 3.0× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 5,411 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 1,809.
• 🚀TrendSterling has climbed 54 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #345. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedSterling is most popular in South Dakota, where it ranks #105, followed by Montana (#127) and Nebraska (#196). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• ⚖️Boy or girlSterling is given to both boys and girls: 81% of the 1,162 babies named Sterling in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Sterling means “genuine, excellent”.

About the name Sterling

Sterling is a gender-neutral name of English origin meaning “genuine, excellent”. It has 8 letters and 2 syllables, starting with S and ending in “-ing”. US birth records list Sterling for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1895, when it ranked #305 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #345, with 944 babies. Of the 1,162 US babies named Sterling in 2025, 19% were girls and 81% were boys.

Origin:English names