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Worldwide Name Statistics

Shirley

Ranked #237 - 1 in 37,571 people
US

Most common in

United States

213k bearers

World total

212,930

estimated living bearers

Global rank

#237

worldwide

Country breakdown

United States213k
Worldwide
~213k
rank #237
Rarity
1 in 37,571
of people globally
Gender split
1/99
male / female %
Countries covered
1
~213k in US

About the name Shirley

There are an estimated 212,930 people named Shirley alive worldwide today. That ranks Shirley at #237 globally, with the highest concentrations in United States.

In the United States, Shirley is held by approximately 212,930 people, ranking #237 among first names. That works out to roughly 64 per 100,000 Americans (or 1 in 1,559 U.S. residents).

Historically Shirley is used overwhelmingly as a female name (98.6% female).

Shirley appears in birth records going back to 1880. Use the chart below to see how its popularity has changed across decades, and the surname section to find common pairings.

Gender distribution

Based on historical birth records, this name is used predominantly female.

Male 1.4%Female 98.6%

Shirley popularity by year

U.S. births per year for Shirley, 1880 to 2025 (source: SSA name files).

Show data table
  1. 1880: 18
  2. 1881: 7
  3. 1882: 20
  4. 1883: 31
  5. 1884: 29
  6. 1885: 33
  7. 1886: 33
  8. 1887: 29
  9. 1888: 46
  10. 1889: 55
  11. 1890: 59
  12. 1891: 50
  13. 1892: 73
  14. 1893: 67
  15. 1894: 69
  16. 1895: 71
  17. 1896: 67
  18. 1897: 81
  19. 1898: 85
  20. 1899: 88
  21. 1900: 142
  22. 1901: 105
  23. 1902: 126
  24. 1903: 119
  25. 1904: 162
  26. 1905: 178
  27. 1906: 210
  28. 1907: 264
  29. 1908: 306
  30. 1909: 314
  31. 1910: 342
  32. 1911: 397
  33. 1912: 555
  34. 1913: 797
  35. 1914: 1,047
  36. 1915: 1,306
  37. 1916: 1,400
  38. 1917: 1,972
  39. 1918: 2,836
  40. 1919: 3,346
  41. 1920: 4,909
  42. 1921: 5,922
  43. 1922: 6,636
  44. 1923: 8,149
  45. 1924: 9,715
  46. 1925: 11k
  47. 1926: 12k
  48. 1927: 14k
  49. 1928: 14k
  50. 1929: 15k
  51. 1930: 15k
  52. 1931: 15k
  53. 1932: 15k
  54. 1933: 15k
  55. 1934: 23k
  56. 1935: 43k
  57. 1936: 36k
  58. 1937: 27k
  59. 1938: 24k
  60. 1939: 21k
  61. 1940: 18k
  62. 1941: 17k
  63. 1942: 18k
  64. 1943: 18k
  65. 1944: 16k
  66. 1945: 16k
  67. 1946: 18k
  68. 1947: 18k
  69. 1948: 16k
  70. 1949: 17k
  71. 1950: 16k
  72. 1951: 14k
  73. 1952: 13k
  74. 1953: 12k
  75. 1954: 11k
  76. 1955: 9,806
  77. 1956: 9,483
  78. 1957: 8,917
  79. 1958: 8,141
  80. 1959: 7,325
  81. 1960: 6,457
  82. 1961: 5,675
  83. 1962: 4,905
  84. 1963: 4,414
  85. 1964: 3,994
  86. 1965: 3,401
  87. 1966: 2,955
  88. 1967: 2,539
  89. 1968: 2,155
  90. 1969: 1,892
  91. 1970: 1,648
  92. 1971: 1,606
  93. 1972: 1,347
  94. 1973: 1,162
  95. 1974: 1,022
  96. 1975: 881
  97. 1976: 846
  98. 1977: 777
  99. 1978: 656
  100. 1979: 678
  101. 1980: 611
  102. 1981: 579
  103. 1982: 608
  104. 1983: 515
  105. 1984: 482
  106. 1985: 499
  107. 1986: 440
  108. 1987: 465
  109. 1988: 468
  110. 1989: 457
  111. 1990: 472
  112. 1991: 446
  113. 1992: 454
  114. 1993: 413
  115. 1994: 380
  116. 1995: 343
  117. 1996: 339
  118. 1997: 333
  119. 1998: 293
  120. 1999: 231
  121. 2000: 259
  122. 2001: 305
  123. 2002: 259
  124. 2003: 313
  125. 2004: 240
  126. 2005: 285
  127. 2006: 249
  128. 2007: 288
  129. 2008: 304
  130. 2009: 233
  131. 2010: 178
  132. 2011: 188
  133. 2012: 176
  134. 2013: 174
  135. 2014: 202
  136. 2015: 181
  137. 2016: 168
  138. 2017: 185
  139. 2018: 152
  140. 2019: 148
  141. 2020: 137
  142. 2021: 105
  143. 2022: 134
  144. 2023: 139
  145. 2024: 151
  146. 2025: 133

Frequently asked questions

How many people are named Shirley worldwide?

There are an estimated 212,930 people named Shirley alive worldwide today, ranking #237 globally.

Is Shirley a rare name?

Worldwide that works out to about 1 in 37,571 people. In the United States there are roughly 212,930 bearers, which is 1 in 1,559 Americans.

Is Shirley a boy or girl name?

Based on historical birth records, Shirley is used 1.4% male and 98.6% female.

Where does the name Shirley come from?

Who are famous people named Shirley?

Data sources

Every figure on this page is cited. See the methodology page for the full picture.

Last updated:

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