UK girl's name
Shari
A feminine Arabic name meaning "wanderer" or "traveler".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2017. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shari is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Shari popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2017 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5765, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 7 births.
This profile covers 43 England and Wales registrations across 11 recorded years from 1996 to 2017. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 75 living people in the UK are called Shari. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2018 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shari ranked #5765 for girls in England and Wales in 2017, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 7 girls were registered as Shari.
- • Shari ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #354 in 1992.
- • About 75 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shari as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5765
2017
Births in 2017
3
Latest year
Peak year
1997
7 births
Estimated living
75
2026
Meaning
What does Shari mean?
The name Shari is believed to have originated from the Persian language, where it is derived from the word "شهر" (shahr), meaning "city" or "town." This name has been in use for centuries within Persian-speaking regions, including modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of Central Asia.
During the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th centuries, the name Shari gained popularity across the Middle East and Central Asia. It was often associated with urban centers and intellectual pursuits, as many scholars, philosophers, and artists bore this name during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shari can be found in the writings of the renowned Persian polymath, Avicenna (980-1037 CE), who mentioned a scholar named Shari al-Balkhi in his works. Al-Balkhi was a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the city of Balkh, in what is now Afghanistan.
In the 12th century, Shari al-Saqati, a Persian calligrapher and poet, gained prominence for his contributions to the art of calligraphy and his poetic works. He was born in Samarkand, which was then part of the Persian cultural sphere.
Another notable historical figure with the name Shari was Shari al-Jurjani (1339-1413 CE), a Persian scholar and lexicographer who authored several influential works on Arabic grammar and lexicography.
During the Safavid Empire in Persia (1501-1736 CE), the name Shari continued to be popular among the intellectual and artistic circles. One prominent figure was Shari Beg Afshar (1648-1707 CE), a Persian poet and calligrapher who served at the court of Shah Abbas II.
In more recent times, Shari Lewis (1933-1998) was an American ventriloquist and children's entertainer who gained fame for her television show "Lamb Chop's Play-Along." She was known for her innovative approach to children's entertainment and her use of puppets to teach valuable lessons.
While the name Shari has Persian roots, it has been adopted and used in various cultures around the world, often with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. However, its origins can be traced back to the rich cultural heritage of the Persian-speaking regions and the intellectual and artistic achievements of those who bore this name throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shari over time
The chart below shows babies named Shari registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2017. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shari, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2017, compared with 7 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shari by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shari was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5237 | 14 | 4 |
| 2000s | #4114 | 14 | 4 |
| 1990s | #2894 | 15 | 3 |
Geography
Where Shari is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Shari. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Shari ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #354 in 1992.
Across the UK
Shari in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#354 in 1992
7 years of NRS records, 33 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Shari
-
Shari Krishnaratne
social scientist; nutritionist; epidemiologist; researcher
social scientist and epidemiologist
Related
Names similar to Shari
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Summer 24,167
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
FAQ
Shari: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shari in the UK right now?
In 2017, Shari was ranked #5765 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Shari most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 7 babies registered as Shari in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shari?
A feminine Arabic name meaning "wanderer" or "traveler".
How many people are called Shari in the UK?
A total of 43 babies have been registered as Shari across the 11 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 33 more in Scotland.
Where is Shari most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Shari ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #354 in 1992. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.