Sterling is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Sterling means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Sterling across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Sterling has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Sterling is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “little star or of high quality”. From an English surname, linked to the sterling coin.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 41,197 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 261 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Sterling per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2025 (1,162/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2022 (25/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2025 (3/yr).
Sterling has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2025, when it ranked #569 nationally (given to 1,189 babies that year).
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