Shirley

#1,581 for girls in 2025, 133 births · Last seen for boys in 1993 at #6,816
Given to girls 98.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1935 · 42,366 births
Debut · girls
8 births
In top 100 · girls
46 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
686,383
since 1880

Shirley over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201910peak #2, 1935girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,581133
2024#1,452151
2023#1,534139
2022#1,583134
2021#1,885105
2020#1,545137
2019#1,483148
2018#1,447152
2017#1,274185
2016#1,386168
2015#1,311181
2014#1,205202
2013#1,338174
2012#1,334176
2011#1,266188
2010#1,317178
2009#1,091233
2008#905304
2007#937288
2006#1,026249
2005#885285
2004#987240
2003#788313
2002#878259
2001#778305
2000#850259
1999#914231
1998#742293
1997#660333
1996#654339
1995#634343
1994#593380
1993#579406#6,8167
1992#530449#8,4355
1991#521446
1990#509472
1989#512457
1988#491462#6,4266
1987#473459#6,0896
1986#491435#6,7215
1985#441494#6,5235
1984#438477#6,3155
1983#428505#3,88410
1982#384601#5,0037
1981#390579
1980#380603#4,4958
1979#346671#4,8427
1978#336647#3,8579
1977#307777
1976#277834#3,09512
1975#278875#4,7976
1974#2541,010#2,94612
1973#2171,155#4,0547
1972#2091,334#2,65913
1971#1931,588#2,20318
1970#1981,629#2,05819
1969#1731,867#1,64225
1968#1502,142#2,31113
1967#1422,508#1,36431
1966#1232,919#1,25936
1965#1113,370#1,38631
1964#1033,967#1,51027
1963#994,387#1,51327
1962#964,869#1,29536
1961#855,638#1,30337
1960#706,411#1,15246
1959#617,284#1,21241
1958#528,088#1,04953
1957#468,855#96662
1956#419,429#1,01954
1955#379,755#1,05451
1954#3310,909#90866
1953#2912,148#86868
1952#2812,529#85067
1951#2713,919#79978
1950#1915,891#75882
1949#1817,281#75483
1948#2016,121#80271
1947#1917,648#611124
1946#1817,870#534145
1945#1416,150#500143
1944#1516,309#537128
1943#1217,816#462186
1942#1217,750#427205
1941#1016,954#446174
1940#917,881#389214
1939#520,447#368238
1938#523,766#340265
1937#426,823#293337
1936#235,161#277381
1935#242,366#259435
1934#422,841#318288
1933#914,320#372213
1932#914,476#357242
1931#914,405#362239
1930#1114,775#337273
1929#914,576#346263
1928#1014,215#370249
1927#913,314#377242
1926#1411,762#409214
1925#1710,513#402223
1924#199,489#407226
1923#267,918#391231
1922#396,407#398229
1921#445,695#404227
1920#564,713#427196
1919#893,149#418197
1918#972,654#440182
1917#1231,800#432172
1916#1601,245#447155
1915#1621,135#414171
1914#160906#402141
1913#169684#406113
1912#198489#48466
1911#198362#49735
1910#202318#58224
1909#203281#43633
1908#196284#54122
1907#207247#61617
1906#234187#46523
1905#256162#59216
1904#268138#43124
1903#309102#52717
1902#309104#44022
1901#30595#68310
1900#322110#39332
1899#34674#52114
1898#37270#54315
1897#37261#42220
1896#38355#64112
1895#43343#34728
1894#40747#39922
1893#37452#47915
1892#34658#52515
1891#42335#45615
1890#40040#41519
1889#37142#52513
1888#43932#52814
1887#49920#6319
1886#55616#43117
1885#54216#43917
1884#47918#57011
1883#45118#49713
1882#6349#57611
1881#7067
1880#6288#60010
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Shirley was already there! It came in at #628, and was given to 8 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1881, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.

See more about Shirley
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 129 spots since 2024 (#1,452#1,581)
  • 36 spots since 2020 (#1,545#1,581)
  • 270 spots since 2015 (#1,311#1,581)
  • Biggest jump: 183 spots in 1883 (#634#451)
  • Biggest drop: 199 spots in 2004 (#788#987)
Rise & fade · girls
55 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1935 at #2 (42,366 births)
  • Births halved by 1939, 4 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 10 for 14 yrs
  • Top 10: 14 yrs · run 1931–1941
  • Top 100: 46 yrs · run 1918–1963
  • Top 1,000: 127 yrs · run 1882–2005
Share of babies · girls
1 in 25
  • Highest: 1 in 25 girls born in 1935 were named Shirley (4.0%)
  • Latest: 1 in 12,085 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · girls
The 1930s
  • 33.4% of all girls named Shirley (229,380) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s179#371 (1889)#511
1890s535#346 (1899)#386
1900s1,710#196 (1908)#261
1910s12,742#89 (1919)#156
1920s98,602#9 (1929)#24
1930s229,380#2 (1935)#6
1940s171,780#9 (1940)#15
1950s108,807#19 (1950)#37
1960s38,078#70 (1960)#115
1970s10,520#193 (1971)#262
1980s5,072#380 (1980)#443
1990s3,692#509 (1990)#634
2000s2,735#778 (2001)#913
2010s1,752#1,205 (2014)#1,336
2020s799#1,452 (2024)#1,597

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Shirley in 1910

girls
#202
318 births · 1 in 1,247 girls
boys
#582
24 births · 1 in 8,092 boys

Top girls' names in 1910

  1. #1Mary22,848
  2. #2Helen10,479
  3. #3Margaret8,226
  4. #4Dorothy7,318
  5. #5Ruth7,212
  6. #6Anna6,436
  7. #7Elizabeth5,800
  8. #8Mildred5,692
  9. #9Marie4,790
  10. #10Alice4,671
  11. #202Shirley318

Top boys' names in 1910

  1. #1John11,450
  2. #2James9,194
  3. #3William8,844
  4. #4Robert5,609
  5. #5George5,441
  6. #6Joseph5,228
  7. #7Charles4,784
  8. #8Frank3,768
  9. #9Edward3,407
  10. #10Henry2,899
  11. #582Shirley24
More about 1910

girls

396,503 girls got a published name in 1910; 1 in 1,247 of them was named Shirley, which outranked 92.8% of the 2,790 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shirley
  1. #199Carolyn331
  2. #200Antoinette320
  3. #201Frieda319
  4. #202Shirley318
  5. #202Jewel318
  6. #202Nell318
  7. #205Fay316
  8. #205Patricia316
  9. #207Veronica314

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1909
Risers
  1. 960Alys#1,957#997
  2. 849Lannie#1,763#914
  3. 766Luz#1,763#997
  4. 762Vivien#1,607#845
  5. 693Buna#1,607#914
Fallers
  1. 864Earl#909#1,773
  2. 864Fleta#909#1,773
  3. 783Elba#990#1,773
  4. 644Odile#990#1,634
  5. 576Claribel#845#1,421

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

194,208 boys got a published name in 1910; 1 in 8,092 of them was named Shirley, which outranked 68.4% of the 1,839 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shirley
  1. #569Quincy25
  2. #569Seymour25
  3. #569Watson25
  4. #582Shirley24
  5. #582Carson24
  6. #582Clint24
  7. #582Domingo24
  8. #598Arlie23
  9. #598Arturo23
  10. #598Benito23

Tied with 15 names at #582; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1909
Risers
  1. 711Emma#1,440#729
  2. 679Arturo#1,277#598
  3. 679Sammy#1,277#598
  4. 658Tracy#1,440#782
  5. 623Issac#1,277#654
Fallers
  1. 833Hadley#756#1,589
  2. 785Cedric#804#1,589
  3. 707Waymon#714#1,421
  4. 696Hughie#893#1,589
  5. 696Maceo#893#1,589

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1910