Is Cher a boy or girl name?

Cher is mostly a girl’s name. Of the 1,831 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 94.0% were girls and 6.0% were boys. It changed hands in 1991, and has gone mainly to boys since.

Name Legacy

Cher

Recorded 1948–2024 · United States

Cher was most popular in 1972, when 235 American babies were given the name — ranking #1,143 that year. It was not recorded in 2025. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 1,831 people named Cher.

Cher over time

Births per year. The dot marks Cher’s peak in 1972. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Cher a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Cher is mostly a girl’s name — 94.0% of the 1,831 Americans given it were girls and 6.0% were boys. It changed hands: since 1991 it has gone mainly to boys, having gone mainly to girls before that. In births since 2016 it is 100% girls and 0% boys.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Cher

Where Cher is most concentrated

How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.

California 3.4×

Explore further

See Cher on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org