Shirin
A Persian name meaning "sweet" or "charming," of Persian origin.
Name Census estimates that about 745 living Americans carry the first name Shirin. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shirin today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shirin births was 1985 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shirin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
745
~ 1 in 460,073 Americans
Peak year
1985
27 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,854
Tracked since 1938
Popularity
Shirin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shirin from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 176 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shirin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Shirin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shirins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Shirin, while Texas, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 55 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shirin
The name Shirin is believed to have originated from the Persian language. It is derived from the Persian word "shir," which means "sweet" or "sugar." The name is thought to have been in use as early as the 6th century AD in ancient Persia, which is now modern-day Iran.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Shirin is in the famous Persian epic poem "Khosrow and Shirin," written by the renowned poet Nizami Ganjavi in the 12th century. The poem tells the love story between the Sasanian King Khosrow II and the Armenian princess Shirin, whose name means "sweet" in Persian.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shirin. One of the earliest was Shirin, the wife of the Sasanian King Khosrow II, who lived in the 7th century AD. Another famous Shirin was Shirin Banu Begum, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, who lived in the 16th century.
In more recent times, Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer, and human rights activist, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her efforts in promoting democracy and human rights. She was born in 1947 and continues to be an influential figure in the fight for women's rights and civil liberties.
Another notable figure was Shirin Neshat, an Iranian visual artist, filmmaker, and photographer, born in 1957. She is renowned for her works that explore the complexities of Islamic culture and gender roles.
ShirinAkhtar, an Indian classical singer and musician, was also a prominent figure in the 20th century. She was born in 1916 and was widely regarded as one of the greatest vocalists of her time, renowned for her mastery of the Khyal and Thumri genres.
These examples demonstrate the historical significance and enduring popularity of the name Shirin across various cultures and time periods, reflecting its Persian origins and its association with sweetness, beauty, and artistic expression.
People
Shirin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shirin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shirin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shirin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 745 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shirin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 460,073 US residents.
Is Shirin a common name?
We classify Shirin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 786 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shirin most popular?
The single biggest year for Shirin was 1985, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shirin is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shirin a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shirin in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.