 The name Sharow derives from the Old English of 'Scearu' and 'Hōh' which translates as boundary hill-spur or a share/division of a sharply projecting piece of land.In the 2001 Census, the village was registered as having a population of 546, which had risen slightly to 556 at the 2011 Census.In 2015, North Yorkshire County Council estimated the population to have dropped to 540.