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
- Peak · girls
- 1935 · 42,366 births
- Debut · girls
- 8 births
- In top 100 · girls
- 46 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 686,383since 1880
Shirley over time
Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #1,581 | 133 | — | |
| 2024 | #1,452 | 151 | — | |
| 2023 | #1,534 | 139 | — | |
| 2022 | #1,583 | 134 | — | |
| 2021 | #1,885 | 105 | — | |
| 2020 | #1,545 | 137 | — | |
| 2019 | #1,483 | 148 | — | |
| 2018 | #1,447 | 152 | — | |
| 2017 | #1,274 | 185 | — | |
| 2016 | #1,386 | 168 | — | |
| 2015 | #1,311 | 181 | — | |
| 2014 | #1,205 | 202 | — | |
| 2013 | #1,338 | 174 | — | |
| 2012 | #1,334 | 176 | — | |
| 2011 | #1,266 | 188 | — | |
| 2010 | #1,317 | 178 | — | |
| 2009 | #1,091 | 233 | — | |
| 2008 | #905 | 304 | — | |
| 2007 | #937 | 288 | — | |
| 2006 | #1,026 | 249 | — | |
| 2005 | #885 | 285 | — | |
| 2004 | #987 | 240 | — | |
| 2003 | #788 | 313 | — | |
| 2002 | #878 | 259 | — | |
| 2001 | #778 | 305 | — | |
| 2000 | #850 | 259 | — | |
| 1999 | #914 | 231 | — | |
| 1998 | #742 | 293 | — | |
| 1997 | #660 | 333 | — | |
| 1996 | #654 | 339 | — | |
| 1995 | #634 | 343 | — | |
| 1994 | #593 | 380 | — | |
| 1993 | #579 | 406 | #6,816 | 7 |
| 1992 | #530 | 449 | #8,435 | 5 |
| 1991 | #521 | 446 | — | |
| 1990 | #509 | 472 | — | |
| 1989 | #512 | 457 | — | |
| 1988 | #491 | 462 | #6,426 | 6 |
| 1987 | #473 | 459 | #6,089 | 6 |
| 1986 | #491 | 435 | #6,721 | 5 |
| 1985 | #441 | 494 | #6,523 | 5 |
| 1984 | #438 | 477 | #6,315 | 5 |
| 1983 | #428 | 505 | #3,884 | 10 |
| 1982 | #384 | 601 | #5,003 | 7 |
| 1981 | #390 | 579 | — | |
| 1980 | #380 | 603 | #4,495 | 8 |
| 1979 | #346 | 671 | #4,842 | 7 |
| 1978 | #336 | 647 | #3,857 | 9 |
| 1977 | #307 | 777 | — | |
| 1976 | #277 | 834 | #3,095 | 12 |
| 1975 | #278 | 875 | #4,797 | 6 |
| 1974 | #254 | 1,010 | #2,946 | 12 |
| 1973 | #217 | 1,155 | #4,054 | 7 |
| 1972 | #209 | 1,334 | #2,659 | 13 |
| 1971 | #193 | 1,588 | #2,203 | 18 |
| 1970 | #198 | 1,629 | #2,058 | 19 |
| 1969 | #173 | 1,867 | #1,642 | 25 |
| 1968 | #150 | 2,142 | #2,311 | 13 |
| 1967 | #142 | 2,508 | #1,364 | 31 |
| 1966 | #123 | 2,919 | #1,259 | 36 |
| 1965 | #111 | 3,370 | #1,386 | 31 |
| 1964 | #103 | 3,967 | #1,510 | 27 |
| 1963 | #99 | 4,387 | #1,513 | 27 |
| 1962 | #96 | 4,869 | #1,295 | 36 |
| 1961 | #85 | 5,638 | #1,303 | 37 |
| 1960 | #70 | 6,411 | #1,152 | 46 |
| 1959 | #61 | 7,284 | #1,212 | 41 |
| 1958 | #52 | 8,088 | #1,049 | 53 |
| 1957 | #46 | 8,855 | #966 | 62 |
| 1956 | #41 | 9,429 | #1,019 | 54 |
| 1955 | #37 | 9,755 | #1,054 | 51 |
| 1954 | #33 | 10,909 | #908 | 66 |
| 1953 | #29 | 12,148 | #868 | 68 |
| 1952 | #28 | 12,529 | #850 | 67 |
| 1951 | #27 | 13,919 | #799 | 78 |
| 1950 | #19 | 15,891 | #758 | 82 |
| 1949 | #18 | 17,281 | #754 | 83 |
| 1948 | #20 | 16,121 | #802 | 71 |
| 1947 | #19 | 17,648 | #611 | 124 |
| 1946 | #18 | 17,870 | #534 | 145 |
| 1945 | #14 | 16,150 | #500 | 143 |
| 1944 | #15 | 16,309 | #537 | 128 |
| 1943 | #12 | 17,816 | #462 | 186 |
| 1942 | #12 | 17,750 | #427 | 205 |
| 1941 | #10 | 16,954 | #446 | 174 |
| 1940 | #9 | 17,881 | #389 | 214 |
| 1939 | #5 | 20,447 | #368 | 238 |
| 1938 | #5 | 23,766 | #340 | 265 |
| 1937 | #4 | 26,823 | #293 | 337 |
| 1936 | #2 | 35,161 | #277 | 381 |
| 1935 | #2 | 42,366 | #259 | 435 |
| 1934 | #4 | 22,841 | #318 | 288 |
| 1933 | #9 | 14,320 | #372 | 213 |
| 1932 | #9 | 14,476 | #357 | 242 |
| 1931 | #9 | 14,405 | #362 | 239 |
| 1930 | #11 | 14,775 | #337 | 273 |
| 1929 | #9 | 14,576 | #346 | 263 |
| 1928 | #10 | 14,215 | #370 | 249 |
| 1927 | #9 | 13,314 | #377 | 242 |
| 1926 | #14 | 11,762 | #409 | 214 |
| 1925 | #17 | 10,513 | #402 | 223 |
| 1924 | #19 | 9,489 | #407 | 226 |
| 1923 | #26 | 7,918 | #391 | 231 |
| 1922 | #39 | 6,407 | #398 | 229 |
| 1921 | #44 | 5,695 | #404 | 227 |
| 1920 | #56 | 4,713 | #427 | 196 |
| 1919 | #89 | 3,149 | #418 | 197 |
| 1918 | #97 | 2,654 | #440 | 182 |
| 1917 | #123 | 1,800 | #432 | 172 |
| 1916 | #160 | 1,245 | #447 | 155 |
| 1915 | #162 | 1,135 | #414 | 171 |
| 1914 | #160 | 906 | #402 | 141 |
| 1913 | #169 | 684 | #406 | 113 |
| 1912 | #198 | 489 | #484 | 66 |
| 1911 | #198 | 362 | #497 | 35 |
| 1910 | #202 | 318 | #582 | 24 |
| 1909 | #203 | 281 | #436 | 33 |
| 1908 | #196 | 284 | #541 | 22 |
| 1907 | #207 | 247 | #616 | 17 |
| 1906 | #234 | 187 | #465 | 23 |
| 1905 | #256 | 162 | #592 | 16 |
| 1904 | #268 | 138 | #431 | 24 |
| 1903 | #309 | 102 | #527 | 17 |
| 1902 | #309 | 104 | #440 | 22 |
| 1901 | #305 | 95 | #683 | 10 |
| 1900 | #322 | 110 | #393 | 32 |
| 1899 | #346 | 74 | #521 | 14 |
| 1898 | #372 | 70 | #543 | 15 |
| 1897 | #372 | 61 | #422 | 20 |
| 1896 | #383 | 55 | #641 | 12 |
| 1895 | #433 | 43 | #347 | 28 |
| 1894 | #407 | 47 | #399 | 22 |
| 1893 | #374 | 52 | #479 | 15 |
| 1892 | #346 | 58 | #525 | 15 |
| 1891 | #423 | 35 | #456 | 15 |
| 1890 | #400 | 40 | #415 | 19 |
| 1889 | #371 | 42 | #525 | 13 |
| 1888 | #439 | 32 | #528 | 14 |
| 1887 | #499 | 20 | #631 | 9 |
| 1886 | #556 | 16 | #431 | 17 |
| 1885 | #542 | 16 | #439 | 17 |
| 1884 | #479 | 18 | #570 | 11 |
| 1883 | #451 | 18 | #497 | 13 |
| 1882 | #634 | 9 | #576 | 11 |
| 1881 | — | #706 | 7 | |
| 1880 | #628 | 8 | #600 | 10 |
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.
Where Shirley is popular in 1890
The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.
See more about Shirley
- 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)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1935 at #2 (42,366 births)
- Births halved by 1939, 4 yrs later
- Top 10: 14 yrs · run 1931–1941
- Top 100: 46 yrs · run 1918–1963
- Top 1,000: 127 yrs · run 1882–2005
- Highest: 1 in 25 girls born in 1935 were named Shirley (4.0%)
- Latest: 1 in 12,085 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
- 33.4% of all girls named Shirley (229,380) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 179 | #371 (1889) | #511 |
| 1890s | 535 | #346 (1899) | #386 |
| 1900s | 1,710 | #196 (1908) | #261 |
| 1910s | 12,742 | #89 (1919) | #156 |
| 1920s | 98,602 | #9 (1929) | #24 |
| 1930s | 229,380 | #2 (1935) | #6 |
| 1940s | 171,780 | #9 (1940) | #15 |
| 1950s | 108,807 | #19 (1950) | #37 |
| 1960s | 38,078 | #70 (1960) | #115 |
| 1970s | 10,520 | #193 (1971) | #262 |
| 1980s | 5,072 | #380 (1980) | #443 |
| 1990s | 3,692 | #509 (1990) | #634 |
| 2000s | 2,735 | #778 (2001) | #913 |
| 2010s | 1,752 | #1,205 (2014) | #1,336 |
| 2020s | 799 | #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 1890
Top girls' names in 1890
Top boys' names in 1890
More about 1890
girls
190,377 girls got a published name in 1890; 1 in 4,759 of them was named Shirley, which outranked 73.9% of the 1,534 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
boys
111,024 boys got a published name in 1890; 1 in 5,843 of them was named Shirley, which outranked 64.3% of the 1,161 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 38.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).