Shirley
A girls’ name of Old English origin, meaning bright clearing; from a place name.
Shirley by the numbers
In 2025, 5 babies in England and Wales were named Shirley. In the US, 184 were, though that figure is from 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
For the size of the two countries, it is given several times more often in the US than in England and Wales.
Its American peak was 42,355 babies in 1935, so it is a 1930s name that has since fallen a long way.
Names that come from Shirley
Forms of Shirley in other languages, names built from it, and names that mean a son or daughter of it. Not always the same sex.
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Shirley. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
- Sherleybright clearing; a variant of Shirley11 in the US (2017)
- Shirleebright meadow; a form of Shirley
- Shireensweet, pleasant, delightful5 in England and Wales (2025)
- Sibleyrelated to sibbe; kinship or victory; a form of sibyl12 in the US (2017)
- Shirelmy song or singing; from Shir9 in the US (2017)
- Starleystar clearing or meadow with stars7 in the US (2017)
Other names that mean light
Like Shirley, each of these has light in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
Other names that mean a meadow or field
Like Shirley, each of these has a meadow or field in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
- Rileyvaliant; rye clearing7,797 in the US (2017)
- Savannahgrassy plain; treeless plain5,231 in the US (2017)
- Kinsleyfrom the king's meadow; an English place name used as given name4,048 in the US (2017)
- Haileyhay meadow; form of Hayley3,691 in the US (2017)
- Haydenvalley with hay3,623 in the US (2017)
- Everlywild boar meadow; form of Everley3,510 in the US (2017)
Names about as common as Shirley
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