Shirley
Girl name · #1582 in 2025 · Uniqueness 67/100
Shirley is currently the #1582 girl name in the United States — 133 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1311, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 13,534 girls born in 2025 was named Shirley.
The 145-year story
Shirley first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 8 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1935, when 42,366 girls were named Shirley — good for #2 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Shirley per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Shirley against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Shirley in class?
Shirley scores 67 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Shirley will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Shirley is most common
Geography matters for names, and Shirley is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Shirleys were NY (14), CA (11), IL (9), FL (8), TX (7). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Shirley
Statistically, parents drawn to Shirley tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Sally, Betty, Sandra, Sharon, and Arlene.
SallyBettySandraSharonArleneRosemarieMaryannBeverly
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Shirley | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 133 | #1581 |
| 2024 | 151 | #1452 |
| 2023 | 139 | #1534 |
| 2022 | 134 | #1583 |
| 2021 | 105 | #1885 |
| 2020 | 137 | #1545 |
| 2019 | 148 | #1483 |
| 2018 | 152 | #1447 |
| 2017 | 185 | #1274 |
| 2016 | 168 | #1386 |
| 2015 | 181 | #1311 |
| 2014 | 202 | #1205 |
| 2013 | 174 | #1338 |
| 2012 | 176 | #1334 |
| 2011 | 188 | #1266 |
| 2010 | 178 | #1317 |
| 2009 | 233 | #1091 |
| 2008 | 304 | #905 |
| 2007 | 288 | #937 |
| 2006 | 249 | #1026 |
| 2005 | 285 | #885 |
| 2004 | 240 | #987 |
| 2003 | 313 | #788 |
| 2002 | 259 | #878 |
| 2001 | 305 | #778 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Shirley a popular girl name?
Shirley ranked #1582 among girls in 2025 with 133 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1311.
When was the name Shirley most popular?
Shirley peaked in 1935, when 42,366 American girls received the name (ranked #2 that year). Since 1935 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Shirley?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 13,534 newborn American girls was named Shirley. It scores 67/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.