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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201975peak #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 1975

girls
#278
875 births · 1 in 1,666 girls
boys
#4,797
6 births · 1 in 260,226 boys

Top girls' names in 1975

  1. #1Jennifer58,190
  2. #2Amy32,254
  3. #3Heather24,301
  4. #4Melissa24,168
  5. #5Angela23,361
  6. #6Michelle22,665
  7. #7Kimberly20,257
  8. #8Lisa18,139
  9. #9Stephanie15,775
  10. #10Nicole14,275
  11. #278Shirley875

Top boys' names in 1975

  1. #1Michael68,418
  2. #2Jason52,159
  3. #3Christopher46,575
  4. #4James39,569
  5. #5David39,156
  6. #6Robert35,306
  7. #7John35,079
  8. #8Brian30,578
  9. #9Matthew28,527
  10. #10William25,561
  11. #4,797Shirley6
More about 1975

girls

1,457,861 girls got a published name in 1975; 1 in 1,666 of them was named Shirley, which outranked 97.4% of the 10,618 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shirley
  1. #274Vicki882
  2. #276Cristina880
  3. #277Maureen877
  4. #278Shirley875
  5. #279Kimberley871
  6. #280Evelyn868
  7. #281Kenya864
Biggest movers since 1974
Risers
  1. 1,732Pepper#2,683#951
  2. 1,666Mandie#2,396#730
  3. 1,140Tiana#1,772#632
  4. 779Lacy#1,486#707
  5. 719Lacey#1,284#565
Fallers
  1. 447Nia#672#1,119
  2. 429Alethea#716#1,145
  3. 404Cicely#608#1,012
  4. 307Elaina#994#1,301
  5. 303Cristin#938#1,241

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

boys

1,561,357 boys got a published name in 1975; 1 in 260,226 of them was named Shirley, which outranked 24.3% of the 6,337 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 25.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shirley
  1. #4,309Worth7
  2. #4,309Zeno7
  3. #4,309Zephaniah7
  4. #4,797Shirley6
  5. #4,797Aaren6
  6. #4,797Abiel6
  7. #4,797Abu6
  8. #5,464Aaran5
  9. #5,464Aasim5
  10. #5,464Abbas5

Tied with 666 names at #4,797; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1974
Risers
  1. 722Benjiman#1,692#970
  2. 702Marques#1,520#818
  3. 645Glendon#1,409#764
  4. 502Benji#1,124#622
  5. 471Regan#1,409#938
Fallers
  1. 905Toma#882#1,787
  2. 830Vashon#923#1,753
  3. 352Bruno#993#1,345
  4. 327Hollis#953#1,280
  5. 303Domenico#977#1,280

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

See the top 100 for 1975