Primarily FemaleWhile in Hebrew Sharon is a word for plain, it also specifically refers to the location between the Samarian Hills and the coast of Israel. In the King James Bible version of the Song of Solomon the phrase "I am the rose of Sharon" is used, which has led to various flowering plants being called the same name.
Sharon was not commonly used as a give name until it entered the top 1000 for baby girls in the United States in 1925. One possible influence for its usage is the character from the 1925 novel The Skyrocket by Adela Rogers St. Johns which was made into a film the year after. The name reached its peak in the U.S. between 1943 and 1945 when it ranked #8. Sharon ranked for boys in the U.S. for a handful of years, predominantly in the 1940s, though never became popular.
In most other English-speaking countries, the name was most popular in the 1950s and 1960s including England & Wales, Australia, and New Zealand. In Canada Sharon's popularity was contemporary with the United States and peaked at #5 in 1943 and 1944.
Famous bearers include: Sharon Stone, actress. Sharon Osbourne, TV personality, music promoter, and wife to Ozzy Osbourne. Sharon Needles, American drag queen and winner of RuPaul's Drag Race. Sharon Carter, fictional Marvel character.