Sheikh
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- SHAYK
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #936 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #5,859 for boys
Unisex
Sheikh is a name of Arabic origin, meaning “elder, chief”. In 2025 it ranked 936th for boys in the UK (36 babies) and 5,859th for boys in the US (15 babies).
What does Sheikh mean?
Arabic
“elder, chief”
Arabic for an elder or chief, also a title for religious scholars; in South Asia Sheikh is also a common family name.
Is Sheikh a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Sheikh has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 14 girls and 36 boys in the UK and 15 boys in the US.
How popular is Sheikh in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #936among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 36about 1 in 8,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 65% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 36 boys in the UK were named Sheikh, making it the 936th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,179th. Its busiest year was 2004, with 61 boys. 14 girls were also named Sheikh in 2025 (2,076th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Sheikh in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2018. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 28% of the babies named Sheikh in the UK were girls.
Among boys in 2025, it was 873rd in England and Wales.
Sheikh in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 36 | #936 |
| 2024 | 46 | #803 |
| 2023 | 32 | #1,028 |
| 2022 | 33 | #998 |
| 2021 | 37 | #909 |
| 2020 | 25 | #1,179 |
| 2019 | 24 | #1,193 |
| 2018 | 20 | #1,362 |
| 2017 | 26 | #1,170 |
| 2016 | 31 | #1,030 |
| 2015 | 38 | #891 |
| 2014 | 35 | #925 |
| 2013 | 36 | #904 |
| 2012 | 23 | #1,234 |
| 2011 | 34 | #929 |
| 2010 | 26 | #1,121 |
| 2009 | 47 | #718 |
| 2008 | 34 | #885 |
| 2007 | 32 | #896 |
| 2006 | 38 | #755 |
| 2005 | 33 | #812 |
| 2004 | 61 | #485 |
| 2003 | 34 | #700 |
| 2002 | 30 | #707 |
| 2001 | 31 | #656 |
| 2000 | 32 | #636 |
| 1999 | 24 | #755 |
| 1998 | 22 | #790 |
| 1997 | 26 | #690 |
| 1996 | 22 | #746 |
How popular is Sheikh in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,859among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 15about 1 in 110,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 17% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 15 boys in the US were named Sheikh, making it the 5,859th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,694th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 21 boys. It first appears in the records in 1991.
Half of all the boys named Sheikh in the US since 1880 were born between 2002 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
Sheikh in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #5,859 |
| 2024 | 21 | #4,697 |
| 2023 | 13 | #6,512 |
| 2022 | 14 | #6,141 |
| 2021 | 15 | #5,771 |
| 2020 | 20 | #4,694 |
| 2019 | 9 | #8,209 |
| 2018 | 13 | #6,341 |
| 2017 | 14 | #6,056 |
| 2016 | 14 | #6,048 |
| 2015 | 17 | #5,285 |
| 2014 | 12 | #6,627 |
| 2013 | 9 | #8,113 |
| 2012 | 12 | #6,620 |
| 2011 | 9 | #8,072 |
| 2010 | 18 | #5,044 |
| 2009 | 13 | #6,432 |
| 2008 | 12 | #6,758 |
| 2007 | 9 | #8,169 |
| 2006 | 14 | #5,777 |
| 2005 | 12 | #6,220 |
| 2004 | 8 | #8,137 |
| 2003 | 19 | #4,271 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,124 |
| 2001 | 14 | #5,135 |
| 2000 | 10 | #6,309 |
| 1999 | 8 | #7,132 |
| 1998 | 8 | #6,837 |
| 1997 | 11 | #5,282 |
| 1996 | 11 | #5,180 |
| 1995 | 8 | #6,400 |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 11 | #4,995 |
| 1992 | 9 | #5,652 |
| 1991 | 5 | #8,228 |
Names like Sheikh
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Hamza Zayd Muhammad Abdullah Saif Umar Ahmed Saad Musa Mustafa Zayan Rayyan
Names related to Sheikh
More Arabic names
Layla Mohammed Lyla Mohammad Zara Aaliyah Amir Amira Fatima Ali Yahya Zayn Aisha Omar Zahra Kairo
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Sheikh: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sheikh, updated 20 October 2026.