Shirleyann
A feminine name comprised of a combination of "Shirley" and "Ann".
Name Census estimates that about 206 living Americans carry the first name Shirleyann. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shirleyann today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shirleyann births was 1935 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shirleyann. 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 Shirleyann is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Shirleyanns were born before 1963.
People living today
206
~ 1 in 1,663,856 Americans
Peak year
1935
59 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
2016 SSA rank
#14,136
Tracked since 1923
Census
Shirleyann in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 713 people with the first name Shirleyann, which placed it at #15,968 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,968
National first-name rank
People counted
713
713 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
61.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shirleyann
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shirleyann is White at 61.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Shirleyann described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Shirleyann at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.4% · 438
- Black or African American17.4% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.7% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 43
- Two or more races4.5% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 7
Popularity
Shirleyann: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shirleyann from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 222 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shirleyann 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 Shirleyann during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shirleyanns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Shirleyann, while Hawaii, Minnesota, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shirleyann
The name Shirleyann is a combination of two distinct names – Shirley and Ann. The name Shirley originated from a township in Derbyshire, England called Shirelandia or Shirland. It was initially used as a surname derived from the Old English words "scir" meaning bright or shining, and "land" meaning land or estate. The earliest recorded use of Shirley as a given name dates back to the late 16th century.
The second part of the name, Ann, has its roots in the Hebrew name Hannah, which means "grace" or "favor." It was a popular name among early Christians and was later adopted by the English and other European cultures. The combination of Shirley and Ann likely emerged in the 19th century as a way to create a more unique and feminine name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shirleyann can be found in the 1891 census records of England and Wales. However, the name did not gain widespread popularity until the 20th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shirleyann. One of the earliest was Shirleyann Shirley (1892-1968), an American author and playwright known for her works on Native American history and culture. Another prominent figure was Shirleyann Gillette (1904-1993), an American actress and dancer who performed on Broadway and in Hollywood films.
In the field of literature, Shirleyann Bradshaw (1923-2005) was a celebrated British poet and translator, known for her works on women's issues and social justice. Shirleyann Pimentel (1925-2019) was a Brazilian artist and sculptor whose works explored themes of identity and cultural heritage.
More recently, Shirleyann Henderson (born 1965) is a British actress best known for her roles in films such as "Trainspotting" and "Bridget Jones's Diary." She has received numerous accolades for her performances, including a BAFTA Scotland Award.
These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the name Shirleyann throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human experience.
People
Shirleyann + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shirleyann 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
Shirleyann: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shirleyann?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 206 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shirleyann 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 1,663,856 US residents.
Is Shirleyann a common name?
We classify Shirleyann as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 576 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shirleyann most popular?
The single biggest year for Shirleyann was 1935, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shirleyann is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shirleyann in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 713 people with the name Shirleyann, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,968 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Shirleyann in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Shirleyann?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shirleyann appears almost entirely female. Of the 710 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Shirleyann?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shirleyann is White at 61.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Shirleyann most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Shirleyann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.4% (438 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Shirleyann in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shirleyann a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shirleyann 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 Shirleyann still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shirleyann 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 Shirleyann 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.
How common is the name Shirleyann?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Shirleyann on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.