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Shepherd

Today's name: Shepherd

Pronunciation: SHEP-urd

Potential nicknames: Shep, Sheppy, Harry, Perry

Origin: Old English, occupational word name meaning, "sheep herder." Mainly used in the 19th century. Sheep herding is one of the oldest known professions, and the shepherd Endymion from Greek mythology is also credited as being the first astrologer since being outside in open pastures took up a lot of a herder's time.

Popularity: This name last appeared on the SSA charts in 1887 at #906, never to be seen again. In 2010 there were 64 baby boys named Shepard, 100 Shepherd, and 10 Sheppard. In 2011 there were 101 named Shepherd, 57 Shepard, and 9 Sheppard. By 2015 there was a modest increase of use: Shepherd saw 173 births, ranking at #1108.

Fun fact: (1) As a surname, the most famous namesake may be Earnest Shepard, illustrator of Winnie the Pooh. (2) Jerry Seinfeld chose this name for his son. (3) This name is religious to those who chose to see it that way, as Jesus was known as "the shepherd." (Abel, the son of Adam, was a shepherd as well.)
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