Shepherd

Today's name: Shepherd

Pronunciation: SHEP-erd

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 credited as being the first astrologer.

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.

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) I suggest this name during the holidays for those of you who are religious, seeing as Jesus was known as "the shepherd," and Abel, the son of Adam, was a shepherd as well.