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
- 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
girls
Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.
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
| 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 |
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.
Where Shirley is popular in 1989
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
Top states · girls
- Mississippi#266 · 1 in 1,369
- New York#267 · 1 in 1,627
- Tennessee#337 · 1 in 2,291
- North Carolina#371 · 1 in 2,712
- Alabama#386 · 1 in 2,519
Best ever in a state: #1 in Idaho, 1934.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | #266 | 10 | 1 in 1,369 |
| New York | #267 | 73 | 1 in 1,627 |
| Tennessee | #337 | 13 | 1 in 2,291 |
| North Carolina | #371 | 15 | 1 in 2,712 |
| Alabama | #386 | 9 | 1 in 2,519 |
| South Carolina | #399 | 7 | 1 in 2,829 |
| Illinois | #409 | 28 | 1 in 2,761 |
| Florida | #414 | 26 | 1 in 2,963 |
| California | #433 | 92 | 1 in 2,652 |
| Kentucky | #437 | 6 | 1 in 3,548 |
| New Jersey | #437 | 15 | 1 in 3,199 |
| Massachusetts | #445 | 11 | 1 in 3,499 |
| Connecticut | #475 | 5 | 1 in 3,824 |
| Virginia | #479 | 10 | 1 in 3,710 |
| Ohio | #490 | 17 | 1 in 4,109 |
| Pennsylvania | #547 | 15 | 1 in 4,789 |
| Colorado | #558 | 5 | 1 in 4,116 |
| Indiana | #572 | 7 | 1 in 4,906 |
| Maryland | #632 | 5 | 1 in 5,541 |
| Missouri | #680 | 5 | 1 in 6,506 |
| Louisiana | #708 | 5 | 1 in 5,151 |
| Texas | #723 | 23 | 1 in 5,799 |
| Michigan | #760 | 8 | 1 in 7,556 |
| Georgia | #917 | 5 | 1 in 8,369 |
| Alaska | — | — | — |
| Arizona | — | — | — |
| Arkansas | — | — | — |
| Delaware | — | — | — |
| District of Columbia | — | — | — |
| Hawaii | — | — | — |
| Idaho | — | — | — |
| Iowa | — | — | — |
| Kansas | — | — | — |
| Maine | — | — | — |
| Minnesota | — | — | — |
| Montana | — | — | — |
| Nebraska | — | — | — |
| Nevada | — | — | — |
| New Hampshire | — | — | — |
| New Mexico | — | — | — |
| North Dakota | — | — | — |
| Oklahoma | — | — | — |
| Oregon | — | — | — |
| Rhode Island | — | — | — |
| South Dakota | — | — | — |
| Utah | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — |
| Washington | — | — | — |
| West Virginia | — | — | — |
| Wisconsin | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
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
| 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 1989
girls
#512
457 births · 1 in 4,034 girls
Top girls' names in 1989
More about 1989
girls
1,843,552 girls got a published name in 1989; 1 in 4,034 of them was named Shirley, which outranked 96.5% of the 14,550 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).