Sharon

It's half of the well-know pair from The Parent Trap, and since I don't know when I was first introduced to the name Sharon, The Parent Trap is a good a time as any.

This is pretty close to the
picture of Sharon in my
head. By lusi on
stock.xchng.

Sharon
Means "plain", as in the plains of Israel; it was originally a Hebrew place name. Also the name of a plant, the rose of Sharon. First came into use as a given name in the U.S. in 1925; Behind the Name says this might have been due to the character Sharon in the novel The Skyrocket. Peaked at 8th most popular name in the U.S. in 1943; currently, it's number 882. Worldwide, Sharon has been moderately popular in France and the Netherlands in the past, but doesn't seem to be on the charts now. Behind the Name doesn't have any data for Britain or Ireland, which surprises me, since about half the Sharons I know are British or Irish.

Famous Sharons: Sharon Stone, actress; Sharon Osbourne, not sure what category she falls into; and a whole bunch of other people I've never heard of.

Fictional Sharons: Sharon McKendrick, The Parent Trap; Sharon Newman, The Young and the Restless; Sharon McLonergan, Finian's Rainbow

My Sharons: I have a handful of friends and acquaintances called Sharon, which is why I'm surprised I couldn't think of or find any more famous Sharons. And I have a Sharon character; yet another one of Sybil's sisters. I realise at this point Sybil probably seems like she has enough siblings to start a soccer team, but not quite: There are 10 McKeeman children, only half of whom come into the story. The rest are really just backstory. Anyway, Sharon is the straight-A student who's good at pretty much everything she tries, and is also a bit of a jerk. Not so much now, in the 14-year-old version, but she grows into it over time without even noticing.

Do you know any Sharons?

Sources:
Behind the Name
Baby Name Wizard