Find out how popular the first name Shirley has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Shirley by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Shirley is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 99% of people named Shirley being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 137 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Shirley.

The history of the first name Shirley

The given name Shirley is derived from the English surname Shirley, which itself was a habitation name taken from the parish of Shirley in Derbyshire, England. The place name Shirley is thought to be derived from the Old English words "scir" meaning "bright" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing", thus Shirley can be interpreted as meaning "bright meadow".

The name Shirley first gained prominence in the 12th century when it was used as a surname by the aristocratic Shirley family of Derbyshire. The first recorded use of Shirley as a given name dates back to the late 16th century when it started being used as a masculine name.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Shirley was Sir Thomas Shirley (1564-1628), an English soldier and traveler who served as an ambassador to various European courts. Another notable early bearer was James Shirley (1596-1666), an English dramatist and poet who wrote several popular plays during the reign of King Charles I.

In the 18th century, the name Shirley began to be used more frequently as a feminine name, likely due to its association with the literary works of Frances Sheridan (1724-1766), an Irish writer and playwright who wrote the novel "The Memoirs of Miss Sidney Bidulph" in which the main character was named Shirley.

Two famous historical figures named Shirley include Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005), an American politician and author who was the first African American woman to be elected to the United States Congress in 1968, and Shirley Temple (1928-2014), an American actress who was a popular child star during the Great Depression and later became a diplomat.

Other notable individuals named Shirley throughout history include Shirley Graham Du Bois (1896-1977), an American author and playwright who was married to civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois, Shirley Jackson (1916-1965), an American author known for her novels and short stories exploring themes of psychological horror and domestic life, and Shirley Strickland (1925-2004), an Australian author and educator who wrote several children's books.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Shirley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shirley, please contact us.

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