Shirley has been given to about 695,934 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1935, which makes it a interwar name.
Its best year was 1935, when 42,801 babies were given the name, ranking 2nd. The typical living American called Shirley is about 80 years old today. It is relatively most common in Minnesota, where it accounts for 0.01% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.