Total births
686,383
Girls' name · since 1880
Shirley
686,383 babies named Shirley in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1935. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1452
- among girls today
- 686,383
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Shirley is the #1452 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 686,383 recorded since 1880.
Shirley has 686,383 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1452 as of the latest data, more common than 92% of girls, busiest in the 1930s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1452 among girls today
- 686,383 born since 1880
- 1930s peak decade
- 92% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Shirley is currently the #1452 girls' name in America, more common than 92% of girls - 686,383 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.
- #1452
- among girls today
- 686,383
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Shirley vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1452
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 92% of names given to girls today.
1930s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Shirley was born in this single decade.
1935
Single peak year
42,366 babies were named Shirley in 1935 - its busiest year on record.
How Shirley compares
686,383 Top 0% higher than 100% of 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
Shirley's all-time total is 1,797x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shirley | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 686,383 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 42,366 | 48 | 19,840 |
Shirley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Shirley's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 19% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 81%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 8 births recorded -- set against the 1935 peak of 42,366, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Shirley at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1935
Current rank
#1,452
Active since
1880
Shirley popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1935)
- 42,366
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Shirley popularity over time - boys
9,551 total births recorded since 1880 (Shirley as boys' name)
Shirley by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1930s was Shirley's strongest decade.
229,380 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Shirley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 179
1880s
179 births
- 1890s 535
1890s
535 births
- 1900s 1,710
1900s
1,710 births
- 1910s 12,742
1910s
12,742 births
- 1920s
1920s
98,602 births
- 1930s
1930s
229,380 births
- 1940s
1940s
171,780 births
- 1950s
1950s
108,807 births
- 1960s 38,078
1960s
38,078 births
- 1970s 10,520
1970s
10,520 births
- 1980s 5,072
1980s
5,072 births
- 1990s 3,692
1990s
3,692 births
- 2000s 2,735
2000s
2,735 births
- 2010s 1,752
2010s
1,752 births
- 2020s 799
2020s
799 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 229,380 births (33% of all-time use).
How Shirley compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Shirley's total volume
Shirley vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Shirley by state
Where Shirley concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 44,907 | 6.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 44,774 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 38,636 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 34,018 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 32,003 | 4.7% |
| #6 | California | | 31,779 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Texas | | 31,247 | 4.6% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 25,493 | 3.7% |
Pennsylvania share of Shirley's total US births 6.5%
Even split
44,907 of 686,383 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Shirley appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shirley? ▼
Shirley has been given to 686,383 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1452 as of the latest data. 42,366 babies were born in 1935, its single highest year.
When was Shirley most popular? ▼
Shirley was most popular in the 1930s decade with 229,380 total births. The single peak year was 1935.
Where is Shirley most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Shirley are Pennsylvania (44,907 births), New York (44,774 births), Illinois (38,636 births).
How long has the name Shirley been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Shirley since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Shirley? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Shiloh, Shira, Shirlee, Shirlene, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Shirley's data
- Shirley's decade-level peak was the 1930s (229,380 total births); usage has since declined to 799 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Shirleys (44,907 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Shirley
Nearby Names Like Shirley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shirley
Shiloh Girl
#260 15,117 births
Shira Girl
#2334 5,815 births
Shirlee Girl
#15433 5,709 births
Shirlene Girl
4,856 births
Shiela Girl
4,408 births
Compare Shirley side by side: Shirley vs Shiloh Shirley vs Shira Shirley vs Shirlee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shirley
Xitlali #1451
2,957 births · Peak 2025
Calista #1453
7,504 births · Peak 1999
Kamilah #1450
6,489 births · Peak 2019
Sofie #1454
5,003 births · Peak 2012
Raine #1449
3,255 births · Peak 2022
Anyla #1455
2,795 births · Peak 2019
Meghan #1448
96,500 births · Peak 1985
Nashly #1456
862 births · Peak 2024
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Shirley: #1452 Girls' Name - 686,383 Births, Peak 1935." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/shirley. 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 Shirley 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 June 2026.