Total births
196
Girls' name · since 1990
Shir
Shir has 196 recorded births since 1990 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2009 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #15967
- among girls today
- 196
- born since 1990
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 10%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Shir is the #15967 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 196 recorded since 1990.
Social Security Administration records show Shir recorded 196 times among girls since 1990, holding rank #15967 nationally today, ahead of 10% of girls, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1990 to 2025.
- #15967 among girls today
- 196 born since 1990
- 2000s peak decade
- 10% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Shir is currently the #15967 girls' name in America, more common than 10% of girls - 196 born since 1990, peaking in the 2000s.
- #15967
- among girls today
- 196
- born since 1990
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 10%
- more common than other girls
Shir vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#15967
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 10% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
39% of everyone ever named Shir was born in this single decade.
2009
Single peak year
14 babies were named Shir in 2009 - its busiest year on record.
How Shir compares
196 36th percentile among 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Shir's all-time total is 49% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shir | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 196 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 14 | 48 | 19,840 |
Shir's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Shir's full recorded timeline at 2005, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 2006, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2009 peak of 14 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Shir at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2009
Current rank
#15,967
Active since
1990
Shir popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1990–2025
- Peak year (2009)
- 14
- Annual births at peak, across 36 years of records
Shir by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Shir's strongest decade.
77 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Shir births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s
1990s
66 births
- 2000s
2000s
77 births
- 2010s
2010s
42 births
- 2020s 11
2020s
11 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 77 births (39% of all-time use).
Shir by state
Where Shir concentrates geographically, total births since 1990
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 11 | 5.6% |
California share of Shir's total US births 5.6%
11 of 196 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shir? ▼
Since 1990, Social Security records show 196 babies named Shir. Today it holds rank #15967 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2009, with 14 births.
When was Shir most popular? ▼
Shir was most popular in the 2000s decade with 77 total births. The single peak year was 2009.
Where is Shir most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Shir are California (11 births).
How long has the name Shir been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Shir since 1990 -- 36 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Shir? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Shirley, Shiloh, Shira, Shirlee, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Shir's data
- Shir's decade-level peak was the 2000s (77 total births); usage has since declined to 11 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Shirs (11 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shir
Nearby Names Like Shir
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shir
Shirley Girl
#1452 686,383 births
Shiloh Girl
#260 15,117 births
Shira Girl
#2334 5,815 births
Shirlee Girl
#15433 5,709 births
Shirlene Girl
4,856 births
Compare Shir side by side: Shir vs Shirley Shir vs Shiloh Shir vs Shira
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shir
Data Sources
Data as of July 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1990–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Shir: #15967 Girls' Name - 196 Births, Peak 2009." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/shir. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Shir draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.