Sterling
Sterling is a unisex name of English origin meaning “of high quality, little star.” It ranked #346 in the United States in 2025. Originally a term for standard silver purity in England, the name carries connotations of excellence and reliability.
how do you pronounce Sterling?
STER-ling
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Sterling mean?
The name Sterling means “of high quality, little star.” It comes from the English language tradition.
Originally a term for standard silver purity in England, the name carries connotations of excellence and reliability. Possibly derived from an Old English word for 'little star'.
where does the name Sterling come from?
Wikipedia derives Sterling from the Old English stærling, the word for the bird starling — not from a term for silver purity or a "little star" meaning as claimed elsewhere, neither of which this source supports. It lists Starling and Stirling as variant forms of the same name.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #346 |
| 2024 | #371 |
| 2023 | #403 |
| 2022 | #398 |
| 2021 | #383 |
| 2020 | #400 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Sterling?
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Sterling?
- Sterling K. Brown (actor)
- Sterling Archer (fictional character)
what names are similar to Sterling?
what names go well with Sterling?
Sibling names that share Sterling's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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