Shirleyan
Feminine name derived from a surname possibly meaning "bright meadow" or "bright clearing".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Shirleyan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shirleyan today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shirleyan births was 1945 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shirleyan. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Shirleyan is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Shirleyans were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shirleyan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1945
17 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1945 SSA rank
#2,140
Tracked since 1929
Popularity
Shirleyan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shirleyan from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 22 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shirleyan 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 Shirleyan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shirleyan
The given name Shirleyan is believed to have originated from the Old English word "scir," which means "bright" or "shining." It is a variation of the more common name "Shirley," which was derived from the place name "Shirley" in Derbyshire, England.
The name Shirleyan first gained popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, its roots can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, where names with similar elements were commonly used.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shirleyan can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, England, where a Shirleyan Willoughby was baptized in 1842. Another notable early bearer of the name was Shirleyan Pearce, a British novelist and playwright who lived from 1864 to 1938.
Throughout history, several prominent individuals have borne the name Shirleyan. One such person was Shirleyan Humphreys (1892-1972), a Welsh suffragette and political activist who campaigned for women's rights and played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom.
Another notable Shirleyan was Shirleyan Browne (1913-1997), an American librarian and author who wrote several children's books and was an advocate for early childhood literacy. Her works, such as "The Little Red Box" and "The Magic Feather," were widely beloved and inspired a love of reading in many young readers.
In the field of arts and culture, Shirleyan Reeves (1926-2018) was a renowned American dancer and choreographer. She was a pioneer in modern dance and founded the Shirleyan Reeves Dance Company, which toured extensively and helped popularize contemporary dance forms.
Another notable figure was Shirleyan Montgomery (1936-2021), a British entrepreneur and philanthropist. She founded the Montgomery Trust, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting educational initiatives and promoting social mobility for underprivileged communities.
While the name Shirleyan may not be as common today as it once was, it holds a rich history and has been borne by remarkable individuals who have left their mark across various fields and disciplines.
People
Shirleyan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shirleyan 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
Shirleyan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shirleyan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shirleyan 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Shirleyan a common name?
We classify Shirleyan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 32 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shirleyan most popular?
The single biggest year for Shirleyan was 1945, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shirleyan is about 82 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Shirleyan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shirleyan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shirleyan 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.
Is Shirleyan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shirleyan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Shirleyan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Shirleyan?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Shirleyan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.