ninan.org

Shirley

Girls' name · Mid-century

Living in the US
~330,400 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#1,581 among girls
Births in 2025
133 695,934 since 1880
Typical age
77 years, median

Shirley popularity over time

Shirley rank by birth year, 1880–2025Shirley ranked #628 in 1880 and #1,581 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #2, in 1935.#10#100#1,000#1,581best #2 in 193518901920195019802010
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1880–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

Shirley was used most in 1935, when 42,801 babies were given the name. The name is already in use in 1880, where the data begins. It has held a top-100 place in 46 separate years.

As of 2025 the name sits at #1,581, with 133 births that year. Over ten years the count has fallen 27%. It slipped 129 places against the previous year.

Babies named Shirley per yearPeaks at 42,801 births in 1935.42,801 in 1935018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named Shirley?

An estimated 330,400 living Americans are called Shirley. SSA has recorded 695,934 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average Shirley?

The typical living Shirley is 77 years old. More of them were born in the 1940s than in any other decade. By the site’s era rules that makes Shirley a mid-century name.

Your Shirley

Ages of living people named ShirleyHalf of living Shirleys are older than 77 and half younger.median 77020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where Shirley is most common

Relative to births, New York carries 2.3× the national share of Shirleys.

Where Shirley is used more than average2 states use the name Shirley more than the national average.Alaska: not over-representedAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: 2.3× the national rateNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: not over-representedWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: 1.4× the national rateCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: not over-representedMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: not over-representedDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: not over-representedMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where Shirley is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
New York 169 2.3×
California 225 1.4×

Shirley in England and Wales

In England and Wales, Shirley ranked #4,201 in 2025 on 5 births. That is 38% lower than five years earlier.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name Shirley comes from

English place name from Old English sċīr (“county”) + lēah (“meadow”). More at shire, leigh.

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named Shirley

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
Shirley MacLaine American actress 1934 96
Shirley Temple American actress and diplomat 1928–2014 95
Shirley Booth American actress 1898–1992 61
Shirley Chisholm first black woman elected to the United States Congress 1924–2005 60
Shirley Bassey Welsh singer 1937 54
Shirley Jones American singer and actress 1934 53
Shirley Jackson American writer 1916–1965 44
Shirley Knight American actress 1936–2020 41
Photo credits (8)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 23,129 in 1934 to 42,801 in 1935 — 1.9 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Names similar to Shirley

Matched by sound and spelling inside this dataset, then ordered by total recorded births. This is not a claim about shared etymology.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/shirley.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).