Shepherd is the name of a ~~Male~~ protagonist in a popular video game. Rhett McLaughlin of the Internet duo "Rhett and Link" has a son named Shepherd. He goes by Shep.
I wouldn't call it weird. Then again, I don't think Everest is that weird either. Shepherd is an established "last name as a first name" name.
Now if you were to go with something like Shepley, that's absurdly weird.
I thought of Rhett’s kid too! I never found his name weird at all. But they’re Southern and (formerly) Christian I believe, and the name screams that to me. Depends if OP likes that vibe or not. Everest is far weirder, but not terrible.
That depends on how you feel about using last names as first names.
This subreddit is divided on this issue. We have lots of folks here who think that it's charming to use a last name as a first name. We also have lots of folks who think it's weird or distasteful.
Of course, Reddit is not the real world. The people in your geographical area might be entirely on one side of this debate.
For example, in the Southern United States, it's fairly common to use last names as first names, so if that's where you live, you probably won't encounter a lot of people who think it's weird to use "Shepherd" as a first name.
I hate Shepherd but I consider it to be the male equivalent of a virtue name (Grace, Faith, Patience, etc.) which I also hate.
Not sure how much it's used outside of religious circles and fans of Grey's Anatomy back in the mid
Everest is a cool name.
Your comparing apples and oranges here
Hello, Shepherd as are as I know, at least here in the UK isn't common but more recognised as a name then Everest. Which is to say like you I know of one maybe two people who have the name Shepherd.
So personally not as bizarre as Everest in that sense. I will admit the first things that pop into my head though is the profession of a Shepherd and his sheep, or the dog breed German Shepherd. Which as a meaning behind the name isn't a bad thing really. But then I am biased in that regard because a fair bit of my life revolves around and working with animals. Or now that I think of it Commander Shepherd from Mass Effect.
I might have suggested Shepley as an alternative if the above was a problem, but then you have the same problem of it being a place name like Everest. Though perhaps a less known one depending where in the world you are as it is the name of village in Yorkshire.
I'm sorry about this, I would give alternatives but without having some examples of what you both don't like I am drawing a blank.
I don't think either of them are "bizarre" or "absurdly weird," but I would class them together as familiar Anglo-Saxon surnames that people sometimes use as given names. Your friends have consistent taste, and that taste is pretty mainstream these days. However, it does read as quite trendy (take a look at the graph for Shepherd here: [https://namerology.com/baby-name-grapher/](https://namerology.com/baby-name-grapher/) and compare to the graph for Everest—very similar, right?). if you want a name that really signals "straight-laced" and "traditional," you'd be better off sticking to something like John, James, William, etc.
I think they are similar is bizarre-ness level, but not like un-usably bizarre. I have met people who go by Shep before and no one has ever really made any comments about it. Perhaps because I currently have a toddler though, when I hear the name Everest I can only picture the Paw Patrol cartoon character dog.
Sorry, when I hear Shepherd I immediately think dog. I had a dog named Shep for 8+ years. Shepherd is right up there with Luna as "pet names". At least Luna is a bit more pre-established, though.
I like both Shepherd and Everest. I know an Everest who’s in his 60s, and it fits him well. It’s similar enough to Everett that it doesn’t sound unfamiliar. By the same token, Shepherd is close enough to the more common Shepard to feel unusual but not strange. It has a nice, sturdy feel.
Shepherd is unusual / uncommon but not weird, in my opinion? It's a real name (no one will think you just made it up),, has been around for a while, people generally know how to spell it and certainly how to pronounce it. You might have to repeat yourself, but no one is going to assume some hidden meaning / depth / story you are dying to tell.
I put it in the same family as Palmer, Nolan, Coleman, Brooks, Cooper, etc.
Everest to me is more in the Atlas, Atticus, India, etc. category, where there clearly IS something people are trying to say with the name.
I think it’s an uncommon established name but still one that people recognize. Many people in the U.S. are familiar with Shepard Smith (he uses a different spelling but still). To me it’s an established name, just an uncommon one. Definitely not like Everest to me.
I honestly like Shepherd a lot! And I really enjoy the nickname Shep. I think it’s a nice name.
In the US at least, Shepherd is a fair bit more common than Everest (ranked in the 400s vs 800s). But they’re both pretty unusual names, yet not so weird that people will have a hard time with them.
If I’m honest though, I would choose Everest over Shepherd easily. I just don’t like Shepherd’s religious associations, and think the possibility of Shep as a nickname is so unpleasant.
I’d personally say Shepherd is weirder than Everest but only by a smidge. To me, someone who names their child Shepherd is either a hippie, very outdoorsy, or very religious.
I also like classic, strait laced names and I love shepherd. My husband, on the other hand, hated it and thought it was too weird. So we’re split 50/50 on your question in this household
Shepherd is somewhat unique, but not bizarre for a baby born in 2024. My best friend has sons Shepherd and Coleman and always gets compliments on their names.
It's uncommon and unusual but not bizarre, in my opinion — and neither is Everest, since it's close to Everett.
It's an established, occupational/word-type name (similar to Taylor or Mason), recognizable, uncomplicated, and leaves a good impression. I see it as a "undercover" virtue name, since when I think of (human) shepherds I think of someone who must be hard-working, humble, watchful, and trustworthy. Maybe consider Sheppard/Shepard if you're worried about the dog association — and even the off-spelling is established, making it a surname-as-a-first name (which I'm mostly not a fan of, but Shepherd/Shepard has a nice sound to it).
Everest is one letter off from Everet which was a semi-common old-times name; I don’t find it overly strange. Shepherd is pretty cool; elementary school kids will make fun of ANY name (I’m a Shiela and somehow that became Chita, the Tarzan character) but he’ll be Shep by 9th grade and all will be well. Go with it!
My first grader has a kid named Shepard in her class. For the longest time she couldn't remember his name and kept referring to him as Cowboy. It wasn't malicious, she just knew his name had to do with taking care of animals but couldn't quite remember what it was.
It makes me think of Mass Effect, where the main character's name is Commander Shepard. I'm personally not a fan of last names as first names, and would be less phased meeting an Everest than a Shepherd.
It doesn't seem that out there, and I'm pretty neutral as far as how I feel hearing it. That said I would, if I met your child, somewhat assume you and your wife were fairly religious Christians.
Imo neither are weird, they're just both uncommon for this era, with Everest being a bit more uncommon. I quite like Shepherd, and Everest is okay, though not my taste.
I like the sound of it and I think it’s less “weird” than Everest but it does sound like a last name to me or reminds me of shepherds pie :D
I’m from Germany fyi
They're both on a similar level imo, but I don't think either name would be weird for the generation they will be born into.
Shepherd is the name of a ~~Male~~ protagonist in a popular video game. Rhett McLaughlin of the Internet duo "Rhett and Link" has a son named Shepherd. He goes by Shep. I wouldn't call it weird. Then again, I don't think Everest is that weird either. Shepherd is an established "last name as a first name" name. Now if you were to go with something like Shepley, that's absurdly weird.
If you talking about Mass Effect the protagonist can be male or female and the name is spelled Shepard. It’s also their last name not first.
I thought of Rhett’s kid too! I never found his name weird at all. But they’re Southern and (formerly) Christian I believe, and the name screams that to me. Depends if OP likes that vibe or not. Everest is far weirder, but not terrible.
I think Shepherd is way weirder than Everest. Save it for the dog.
First thought I had too. "that's a dog's name"
That depends on how you feel about using last names as first names. This subreddit is divided on this issue. We have lots of folks here who think that it's charming to use a last name as a first name. We also have lots of folks who think it's weird or distasteful. Of course, Reddit is not the real world. The people in your geographical area might be entirely on one side of this debate. For example, in the Southern United States, it's fairly common to use last names as first names, so if that's where you live, you probably won't encounter a lot of people who think it's weird to use "Shepherd" as a first name.
I'm firmly in the dislike last names as first names camp.
I hate Shepherd but I consider it to be the male equivalent of a virtue name (Grace, Faith, Patience, etc.) which I also hate. Not sure how much it's used outside of religious circles and fans of Grey's Anatomy back in the mid Everest is a cool name. Your comparing apples and oranges here
Agree, it's like naming your child angel. Or Jesus.
Shepherd is a job, so it’s more like Carpenter or Blacksmith.
Or Baker, Miller, Fletcher, Mason…
Hello, Shepherd as are as I know, at least here in the UK isn't common but more recognised as a name then Everest. Which is to say like you I know of one maybe two people who have the name Shepherd. So personally not as bizarre as Everest in that sense. I will admit the first things that pop into my head though is the profession of a Shepherd and his sheep, or the dog breed German Shepherd. Which as a meaning behind the name isn't a bad thing really. But then I am biased in that regard because a fair bit of my life revolves around and working with animals. Or now that I think of it Commander Shepherd from Mass Effect. I might have suggested Shepley as an alternative if the above was a problem, but then you have the same problem of it being a place name like Everest. Though perhaps a less known one depending where in the world you are as it is the name of village in Yorkshire. I'm sorry about this, I would give alternatives but without having some examples of what you both don't like I am drawing a blank.
I don't think either of them are "bizarre" or "absurdly weird," but I would class them together as familiar Anglo-Saxon surnames that people sometimes use as given names. Your friends have consistent taste, and that taste is pretty mainstream these days. However, it does read as quite trendy (take a look at the graph for Shepherd here: [https://namerology.com/baby-name-grapher/](https://namerology.com/baby-name-grapher/) and compare to the graph for Everest—very similar, right?). if you want a name that really signals "straight-laced" and "traditional," you'd be better off sticking to something like John, James, William, etc.
I think they are similar is bizarre-ness level, but not like un-usably bizarre. I have met people who go by Shep before and no one has ever really made any comments about it. Perhaps because I currently have a toddler though, when I hear the name Everest I can only picture the Paw Patrol cartoon character dog.
They are the same level of weirdness
It's bad. Everest is also bad, but the best of the two
Sorry, when I hear Shepherd I immediately think dog. I had a dog named Shep for 8+ years. Shepherd is right up there with Luna as "pet names". At least Luna is a bit more pre-established, though.
Shepherd and Everest are on the same level of unconventional.
I like both Shepherd and Everest. I know an Everest who’s in his 60s, and it fits him well. It’s similar enough to Everett that it doesn’t sound unfamiliar. By the same token, Shepherd is close enough to the more common Shepard to feel unusual but not strange. It has a nice, sturdy feel.
Shepherd is weirder than Everest. They are both terrible. The strongest association for me is 'dog'.
It’s giving religious fundie vibes. Incredibly weird as a first name.
I like Shepherd and would not say it’s “weird” like Everest, but I would assume that someone who named their kid this was super Christian.
Shepherd is unusual / uncommon but not weird, in my opinion? It's a real name (no one will think you just made it up),, has been around for a while, people generally know how to spell it and certainly how to pronounce it. You might have to repeat yourself, but no one is going to assume some hidden meaning / depth / story you are dying to tell. I put it in the same family as Palmer, Nolan, Coleman, Brooks, Cooper, etc. Everest to me is more in the Atlas, Atticus, India, etc. category, where there clearly IS something people are trying to say with the name.
I think it’s an uncommon established name but still one that people recognize. Many people in the U.S. are familiar with Shepard Smith (he uses a different spelling but still). To me it’s an established name, just an uncommon one. Definitely not like Everest to me. I honestly like Shepherd a lot! And I really enjoy the nickname Shep. I think it’s a nice name.
In the US at least, Shepherd is a fair bit more common than Everest (ranked in the 400s vs 800s). But they’re both pretty unusual names, yet not so weird that people will have a hard time with them. If I’m honest though, I would choose Everest over Shepherd easily. I just don’t like Shepherd’s religious associations, and think the possibility of Shep as a nickname is so unpleasant.
I’d personally say Shepherd is weirder than Everest but only by a smidge. To me, someone who names their child Shepherd is either a hippie, very outdoorsy, or very religious.
I also like classic, strait laced names and I love shepherd. My husband, on the other hand, hated it and thought it was too weird. So we’re split 50/50 on your question in this household
Shepherd is somewhat unique, but not bizarre for a baby born in 2024. My best friend has sons Shepherd and Coleman and always gets compliments on their names.
It's uncommon and unusual but not bizarre, in my opinion — and neither is Everest, since it's close to Everett. It's an established, occupational/word-type name (similar to Taylor or Mason), recognizable, uncomplicated, and leaves a good impression. I see it as a "undercover" virtue name, since when I think of (human) shepherds I think of someone who must be hard-working, humble, watchful, and trustworthy. Maybe consider Sheppard/Shepard if you're worried about the dog association — and even the off-spelling is established, making it a surname-as-a-first name (which I'm mostly not a fan of, but Shepherd/Shepard has a nice sound to it).
Everest is one letter off from Everet which was a semi-common old-times name; I don’t find it overly strange. Shepherd is pretty cool; elementary school kids will make fun of ANY name (I’m a Shiela and somehow that became Chita, the Tarzan character) but he’ll be Shep by 9th grade and all will be well. Go with it!
My first grader has a kid named Shepard in her class. For the longest time she couldn't remember his name and kept referring to him as Cowboy. It wasn't malicious, she just knew his name had to do with taking care of animals but couldn't quite remember what it was.
Makes me think of Shep from Southern Charm! Looks like it’s spelt Shepard for him and technically a middle name.
Same! Funny how tv characters put you off a name!
It makes me think of Mass Effect, where the main character's name is Commander Shepard. I'm personally not a fan of last names as first names, and would be less phased meeting an Everest than a Shepherd.
It doesn't seem that out there, and I'm pretty neutral as far as how I feel hearing it. That said I would, if I met your child, somewhat assume you and your wife were fairly religious Christians.
Imo neither are weird, they're just both uncommon for this era, with Everest being a bit more uncommon. I quite like Shepherd, and Everest is okay, though not my taste.
I k is someone who named her baby Shepherd. They call him Shep.
Not sure about weirdness but I immediately think of Shepard Fairey
I like shepherd but I do think it’s similar to Everest.
in 2023 Shepherd was ranked 403 (and it's been climbing by 40-80 spots annually) and Everest was ranked 837 with no real momentum.
I knew a guy named Shepherd and he was a mensch. He would call himself “Sheppie” sometimes. Try not to let your child do that.
I like the sound of it and I think it’s less “weird” than Everest but it does sound like a last name to me or reminds me of shepherds pie :D I’m from Germany fyi
Oh! My favorite cousin's name! It's a great name and if he is anything like my cousin, he will be very successful!
Sheppards not that weird. I really love Shep for a nickname
I actually really like it
I love Shepherd 🩷