Unisex name · Old English
Shirley
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: bright clearingShirley is a gender-neutral name that comes from Old English and means "bright clearing". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Bright clearing
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #1586 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Shirley
As a gender-neutral name, Shirley comes from Old English and means "bright clearing". It is used in English.
As a girl's name, Shirley comes from Old English and means "bright clearing". It is used in English.
Shirley is also a surname: the 1,355th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 25,421 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Shirley on our names that mean light list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Shirley on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Shirley on 4 lists.
“Bright clearing; Old English, mostly male until an 1849 novel”
From Gender neutral names, classic and vintage unisex names
“Curly, cheerful and vintage-cute, like a child star”
From Girl dog names, vintage human names for girl dogs
“Sweet, old-fashioned and slightly mischievous”
From Goat names, girl goat names
“Bright clearing; Old English. Boosted by child star Temple”
From Vintage girl names, 1930s to 1950s girl names
How popular is Shirley?
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,586
- 133 babies, 83 per million girls
- Best rank
- #2 in 1935
- 42,366 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 686,383
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 136 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 241 per million |
| 1900s | 584 per million |
| 1910s | 1,562 per million |
| 1920s | 8,249 per million |
| 1930s | 21,512 per million |
| 1940s | 11,859 per million |
| 1950s | 5,657 per million |
| 1960s | 2,085 per million |
| 1970s | 681 per million |
| 1980s | 295 per million |
| 1990s | 205 per million |
| 2000s | 148 per million |
| 2010s | 100 per million |
| 2020s | 82 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,393 | #1,279 | #1,450 | #1,488 | #1,550 | #1,894 | #1,588 | #1,539 | #1,455 | #1,586 |
As a boy’s name
- Recent US rank
- Fewer than 5 babies in 2025
- Best rank
- #259 in 1935
- 435 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 9,551
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 111 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 153 per million |
| 1900s | 159 per million |
| 1910s | 188 per million |
| 1920s | 209 per million |
| 1930s | 275 per million |
| 1940s | 99 per million |
| 1950s | 31 per million |
| 1960s | 16 per million |
| 1970s | 6 per million |
| 1980s | 3 per million |
| 1990s | 1 per million |
| 2000s | 0 per million |
| 2010s | 0 per million |
| 2020s | 0 per million |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Shirley
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- ShirelSong of God (Hebrew, girl)
- ShirliSong for me (Hebrew, girl)
- SorleySummer traveler (Old Norse, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- RobertBright fame (Germanic, boy)
- ClaraClear, bright (Latin, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
- LambertBright land (Germanic, boy)
- MurielBright sea (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- RobertaBright fame (Germanic, girl)
- AlbertNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertoNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- HubertBright heart (Germanic, boy)
- RobertoBright fame (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Shirley
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- EdithRich in war (Old English, girl)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- AudreyNoble strength (Old English, girl)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
Shirley: common questions
What does the name Shirley mean?
Shirley comes from Old English and means "bright clearing". It also has another origin: the same meaning in another language.
Is Shirley a boy or girl name?
Shirley is used for both boys and girls.
Where does the name Shirley come from?
Shirley comes from Old English and means "bright clearing". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Shirley?
Shirley ranked #1,586 in the US in 2025, with 133 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Shirley?
Names spelled like Shirley include Shirel, Shirli and Sorley.
What middle names go with Shirley?
Middle names that flow well with Shirley include Basil, Iris, James, Jude and Lamar. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.