Shirlyn
A feminine name derived from the English word "shirley", possibly meaning "bright meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 283 living Americans carry the first name Shirlyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shirlyn today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shirlyn births was 1951 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shirlyn. 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
283
~ 1 in 1,211,146 Americans
Peak year
1951
19 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2009 SSA rank
#15,012
Tracked since 1943
Census
Shirlyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 469 people with the first name Shirlyn, which placed it at #21,580 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
#21,580
National first-name rank
People counted
469
469 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
40.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shirlyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shirlyn is White at 40.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.0%). 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 Shirlyn 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 Shirlyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.1% · 188
- Black or African American30.9% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.0% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino10.0% · 47
- Two or more races2.1% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 4
Popularity
Shirlyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shirlyn from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 136 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shirlyn 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 Shirlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shirlyns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shirlyn
The name Shirlyn is an English variation of the more common name Shirley, which has its origins in the Old English word "sċir" meaning "bright" or "shining." The addition of the "-lyn" suffix, derived from the Old English word "lind" meaning "tender" or "soft," gives the name a more feminine and delicate connotation.
Shirlyn first emerged as a distinct name in the late 19th century, particularly in parts of the United Kingdom and North America. While not as widely used as its parent name Shirley, it gained popularity as a unique alternative for parents seeking a more distinctive moniker for their daughters.
In terms of historical references, the name Shirlyn does not appear to have any direct ties to ancient texts, religious scriptures, or notable historical records. However, its root name Shirley has been documented in various literary works, such as the plays of William Shakespeare, where it was used as a surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shirlyn was Shirlyn Delaney, an American actress born in 1917. She had a brief career in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in several films and television shows.
Another notable bearer of the name was Shirlyn Hickox (1925-2018), an American politician who served as the first female mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina, from 1979 to 1981. She was a trailblazer in local politics and played a significant role in the city's development.
In the world of literature, Shirlyn Demangate (1938-2021) was a Canadian author and poet, known for her works exploring themes of identity, culture, and societal issues. Her poetry collections, such as "The Curve of These Lips" and "Cries from the Earth," received critical acclaim.
Shirlyn Brownrigg (born 1951) is an American novelist and short story writer, renowned for her explorations of queer relationships and sexuality in works like "Pages for You" and "The Delphinium Girl." Her writing has been lauded for its honesty and emotional depth.
Lastly, Shirlyn Mallmann (born 1961) is a South African artist and sculptor, known for her large-scale public installations and works that often incorporate natural materials like wood and stone. Her pieces have been exhibited internationally and are celebrated for their organic forms and commentary on environmental issues.
People
Shirlyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shirlyn 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
Shirlyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shirlyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 283 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shirlyn 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 1,211,146 US residents.
Is Shirlyn a common name?
We classify Shirlyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 389 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shirlyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Shirlyn was 1951, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shirlyn is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shirlyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 469 people with the name Shirlyn, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,580 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 Shirlyn 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 Shirlyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shirlyn leans strongly female. 461 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 5 male bearers (1.1%). 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 Shirlyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shirlyn is White at 40.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.0%). 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 Shirlyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Shirlyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.1% (188 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 Shirlyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shirlyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shirlyn 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 Shirlyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shirlyn 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 Shirlyn 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 many people are called Shirlyn?
Find out how many people share the name Shirlyn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.