Shirley
Girl name · #1582 in 2025 · Very rare
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. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Shirley against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Shirley in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Shirley is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". 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
State-level data for Shirley is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
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. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very 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.