Shepherd sits next to 4 phonetic neighbors — Shepard, Shep, and Sheperd are the closest matches by sound. Most share Shepherd's English-origin cluster, so the rhythm and vowel shape carry across the list.
You searched for names like
"settlement of the raven's people; raven-town"
"divine messenger"
"from Grantham"
"the one to whom it belongs"
"king, ruler, monarch"
"meadow dwelling, water meadow"
"church official overseeing ten"
"strong, healthy"
"from the south village"
"king's town"
"son of Cole"
"cheerful, pleasant"
"blazing iron"
"elm grove"
"downy-bearded, youth"
"son, young boy"
"strength, force"
"noble, illustrious"
"behold, a son"
Similar sound: These names share phonetic patterns with Shepherd — similar vowel sounds, consonant clusters, or rhythm.
Rhythm: Shepherd is a 2-syllable name. Names with the same syllable count tend to feel interchangeable when you're narrowing your list.