Shari is an English feminine given name inspired by the French "chérie", meaning "darling" (from the past participle of the verb "chérir", "to cherish"). It has also been used as a diminutive of names starting with or containing the sound "Cher-" or "Sher-" such as Cherilyn, Cheryl, Sharon, or Sherilyn for females. The name was well-used for girls in North America from the mid-1920s through the early 1990s and was at the height of popularity between the mid-1940s and mid-1970s. Spelling variants of the name such as Cherie, Cherry, Sharee, Sheree, Sherie, Sherrey, Sherri, Sherrie, and Sherry were in vogue during the same time period.