Sheriff
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- SHEH-rif
- Origin
- Arabic
Sheriff is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “noble, honourable”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Sheriff mean?
Arabic: West African spelling of Sharif
“noble, honourable”
Shares its spelling with the English sheriff, a royal officer of a shire, but comes from Arabic sharif.
Is Sheriff a girl's or a boy's name?
Sheriff is a boys' name.
How popular is Sheriff in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2016, with 8 boys.
Half of all the boys named Sheriff in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2015. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Sheriff in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | #6,556 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,188 |
| 2020 | 4 | #4,025 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 1 | #6,312 |
| 2016 | 8 | #2,690 |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 5 | #3,529 |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,008 |
| 2012 | 4 | #4,147 |
| 2011 | 6 | #3,038 |
| 2010 | 4 | #4,026 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 5 | #3,305 |
| 2007 | 1 | #5,736 |
| 2006 | 3 | #4,204 |
| 2005 | 4 | #3,330 |
| 2004 | 5 | #2,691 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 6 | #1,932 |
| 1997 | 6 | #1,853 |
| 1996 | 3 | #2,949 |
Names like Sheriff
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad, Hamza, Ahmed, Saif, Abdullah, Umar, Musa, Mustafa, Zayaan, Syed, Zayan, Zayd
Names related to Sheriff
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) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Sheriff: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sheriff, updated 20 October 2026.