Shirley Forename
567th
Most Common
name in the World
Approximately 1,364,744 people bear this name
Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Pitcairn Islands
Shirley Forename Definition:
A female name. this is apparently a surname (derived from a place-name) used as a christian name. The first example noted is the heroine of Charlotte Bronte’s novel Shirley (1849), who, as an only child and an heiress, was given ‘the masculine cognomen’ Shirley, a family name.
Read More About This ForenameShirley Forename Distribution
| Place | Gender | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 100% | 808,532 | 1:448 | 74 |
| England | 100% | 101,507 | 1:548 | 126 |
| Philippines | 99% | 86,571 | 1:1,225 | 250 |
| Brazil | 100% | 59,087 | 1:3,626 | 518 |
| Canada | 100% | 58,005 | 1:571 | 119 |
| South Africa | 100% | 29,302 | 1:1,861 | 294 |
| Ecuador | - | 18,873 | 1:939 | 189 |
| Colombia | 100% | 17,618 | 1:2,712 | 357 |
| Ghana | 100% | 13,147 | 1:2,053 | 344 |
| Peru | 100% | 12,072 | 1:2,633 | 482 |
| Costa Rica | 100% | 11,862 | 1:402 | 67 |
| Australia | - | 11,257 | 1:1,213 | 252 |
| Bolivia | 100% | 10,326 | 1:1,027 | 252 |
| New Zealand | - | 9,988 | 1:454 | 98 |
| Scotland | 100% | 7,318 | 1:731 | 156 |
| Netherlands | 100% | 7,020 | 1:2,408 | 468 |
| Wales | 100% | 6,261 | 1:494 | 112 |
| Jamaica | - | 5,728 | 1:503 | 105 |
| Malaysia | 99% | 5,574 | 1:5,463 | 627 |
| Sri Lanka | - | 4,507 | 1:4,615 | 793 |
| China | - | 4,407 | 1:309,974 | 21,067 |
| Uruguay | 100% | 4,279 | 1:801 | 162 |
| Kenya | 100% | 3,741 | 1:12,378 | 1,468 |
| Venezuela | 100% | 3,401 | 1:8,880 | 986 |
| Mexico | 99% | 2,848 | 1:43,590 | 1,770 |
| Papua New Guinea | 99% | 2,848 | 1:2,862 | 317 |
| Indonesia | 75% | 2,688 | 1:95,969 | 10,867 |
| Paraguay | 100% | 2,678 | 1:2,702 | 524 |
| Ireland | 97% | 2,450 | 1:1,895 | 295 |
| Guatemala | 97% | 2,447 | 1:6,583 | 722 |
| Nigeria | 100% | 2,394 | 1:74,171 | 4,687 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 100% | 2,254 | 1:604 | 65 |
| Zimbabwe | 100% | 2,101 | 1:7,341 | 1,057 |
| Bahamas | - | 2,000 | 1:200 | 21 |
| Northern Ireland | 100% | 1,919 | 1:960 | 206 |
| France | 100% | 1,816 | 1:36,603 | 1,289 |
| India | 100% | 1,653 | 1:734,953 | 52,829 |
| Hong Kong | - | 1,584 | 1:4,894 | 402 |
| Saudi Arabia | - | 1,574 | 1:19,576 | 2,599 |
| Singapore | 99% | 1,444 | 1:4,354 | 732 |
| Chile | 100% | 1,378 | 1:12,777 | 864 |
| Barbados | - | 1,223 | 1:237 | 32 |
| Egypt | 100% | 1,128 | 1:81,472 | 3,965 |
| Belgium | 100% | 1,101 | 1:10,436 | 1,107 |
| Argentina | 100% | 1,069 | 1:40,012 | 1,283 |
| Suriname | 100% | 1,036 | 1:534 | 65 |
| Guyana | 100% | 992 | 1:769 | 86 |
| Spain | 100% | 949 | 1:49,031 | 1,974 |
| Israel | 65% | 900 | 1:9,337 | 1,221 |
| Bangladesh | 100% | 825 | 1:193,287 | 10,074 |
| Fiji | - | 806 | 1:1,107 | 256 |
| Liberia | 100% | 777 | 1:5,678 | 663 |
| Kuwait | - | 703 | 1:5,384 | 687 |
| Botswana | 100% | 696 | 1:3,139 | 549 |
| Mauritius | - | 686 | 1:1,892 | 344 |
| Dominican Republic | - | 667 | 1:15,639 | 1,590 |
| Puerto Rico | - | 665 | 1:5,339 | 474 |
| Panama | 100% | 642 | 1:6,085 | 976 |
| Vanuatu | - | 636 | 1:412 | 88 |
| Germany | 100% | 634 | 1:152,489 | 2,689 |
| Nicaragua | 100% | 624 | 1:9,645 | 1,042 |
| Namibia | - | 585 | 1:4,110 | 647 |
| Saint Martin | - | 537 | 1:67 | 17 |
| Curaçao | 100% | 536 | 1:291 | 53 |
| Honduras | 100% | 522 | 1:16,892 | 1,329 |
| Taiwan | 100% | 501 | 1:47,444 | 7,212 |
| Thailand | 100% | 460 | 1:152,317 | 11,098 |
| Zambia | - | 399 | 1:39,736 | 2,704 |
| Qatar | 100% | 360 | 1:6,582 | 1,069 |
| Malta | - | 352 | 1:1,220 | 262 |
| Portugal | - | 332 | 1:31,358 | 1,279 |
| Belize | 100% | 306 | 1:1,158 | 236 |
| Gabon | - | 281 | 1:6,702 | 1,252 |
| Aruba | - | 238 | 1:436 | 42 |
| Oman | - | 226 | 1:18,180 | 1,608 |
| Sweden | 99% | 224 | 1:44,009 | 2,407 |
| Solomon Islands | 100% | 213 | 1:2,727 | 417 |
| Seychelles | 100% | 200 | 1:463 | 79 |
| United States Virgin Islands | - | 200 | 1:549 | 87 |
| Switzerland | 100% | 190 | 1:43,229 | 2,038 |
| Bahrain | - | 178 | 1:7,577 | 1,232 |
| Tanzania | 84% | 178 | 1:296,564 | 10,422 |
| Jersey | - | 171 | 1:585 | 138 |
| Guam | - | 164 | 1:980 | 210 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 100% | 159 | 1:702 | 68 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 100% | 152 | 1:361 | 31 |
| Bermuda | - | 148 | 1:438 | 59 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | - | 146 | 1:681 | 98 |
| Dominica | - | 137 | 1:551 | 125 |
| DR Congo | 90% | 137 | 1:538,888 | 18,632 |
| Cayman Islands | 100% | 135 | 1:454 | 63 |
| Uganda | 100% | 133 | 1:307,947 | 8,826 |
| Grenada | 100% | 128 | 1:845 | 150 |
| Swaziland | - | 128 | 1:10,158 | 1,360 |
| Malawi | 100% | 127 | 1:134,743 | 6,567 |
| Saint Lucia | 100% | 123 | 1:1,446 | 261 |
| Brunei | - | 122 | 1:3,439 | 349 |
| Norway | 100% | 120 | 1:42,769 | 1,882 |
| Denmark | - | 114 | 1:49,557 | 1,904 |
| Lebanon | 100% | 112 | 1:50,246 | 2,365 |
| Haiti | 100% | 110 | 1:97,518 | 5,559 |
| British Virgin Islands | 100% | 104 | 1:300 | 10 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | - | 101 | 1:541 | 86 |
| Japan | - | 100 | 1:1,279,861 | 16,578 |
| Italy | 100% | 98 | 1:623,083 | 6,228 |
| Pakistan | 100% | 94 | 1:2,067,635 | 27,829 |
| Micronesia | - | 91 | 1:1,170 | 173 |
| Cyprus | 100% | 81 | 1:10,754 | 924 |
| El Salvador | - | 78 | 1:81,305 | 1,940 |
| Guernsey | - | 73 | 1:868 | 190 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 100% | 65 | 1:534 | 88 |
| New Caledonia | 100% | 61 | 1:4,429 | 651 |
| Iraq | 100% | 58 | 1:603,756 | 6,195 |
| Gibraltar | - | 54 | 1:632 | 136 |
| Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | - | 53 | 1:110 | 19 |
| United Arab Emirates | - | 52 | 1:137,538 | 9,445 |
| Angola | 100% | 49 | 1:550,339 | 1,990 |
| Iran | - | 47 | 1:1,670,146 | 11,218 |
| American Samoa | - | 43 | 1:1,299 | 171 |
| Cameroon | 100% | 41 | 1:527,085 | 16,810 |
| Macau | - | 37 | 1:16,438 | 326 |
| Myanmar | - | 36 | 1:1,443,008 | 744 |
| Afghanistan | 73% | 32 | 1:1,019,485 | 12,454 |
| Anguilla | 100% | 29 | 1:457 | 30 |
| Greece | 100% | 29 | 1:377,053 | 5,762 |
| Austria | 100% | 27 | 1:315,341 | 3,671 |
| French Polynesia | - | 27 | 1:10,293 | 1,329 |
| South Korea | - | 26 | 1:213,247 | 7,913 |
| Mozambique | - | 25 | 1:1,089,734 | 1,713 |
| Finland | 89% | 22 | 1:249,236 | 3,896 |
| Yemen | - | 21 | 1:1,252,226 | 3,331 |
| Vietnam | - | 19 | 1:4,874,901 | 3,589 |
| Marshall Islands | 100% | 17 | 1:3,014 | 445 |
| Russia | 100% | 16 | 1:9,014,606 | 35,676 |
| Georgia | - | 14 | 1:267,033 | 6,407 |
| Turkey | 100% | 13 | 1:5,984,747 | 24,872 |
| Cape Verde | 100% | 11 | 1:48,105 | 2,301 |
| Cook Islands | 100% | 10 | 1:1,815 | 293 |
| Czechia | 50% | 10 | 1:1,065,616 | 3,543 |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | 100% | 10 | 1:19,200 | 1,714 |
| Libya | - | 9 | 1:691,257 | 1,282 |
| Madagascar | - | 9 | 1:2,625,490 | 3,077 |
| Poland | 89% | 9 | 1:4,225,235 | 4,388 |
| Romania | 100% | 9 | 1:2,227,997 | 23,879 |
| Samoa | - | 9 | 1:21,688 | 450 |
| Sierra Leone | - | 9 | 1:787,629 | 675 |
| Tunisia | - | 9 | 1:75,211 | 3,284 |
| Falkland Islands | - | 8 | 1:393 | 64 |
| Norfolk Island | - | 7 | 1:332 | 62 |
| Cambodia | - | 6 | 1:2,712,222 | 28,071 |
| Iceland | - | 6 | 1:61,003 | 3,164 |
| Lesotho | 100% | 6 | 1:340,000 | 19,758 |
| Montserrat | - | 6 | 1:813 | 112 |
| Ethiopia | - | 4 | 1:24,390,033 | 19,296 |
| Isle of Man | 100% | 4 | 1:21,256 | 352 |
| Morocco | - | 4 | 1:8,587,159 | 11,086 |
| Algeria | - | 3 | 1:12,725,573 | 18,455 |
| Luxembourg | 100% | 3 | 1:188,016 | 3,003 |
| Monaco | - | 3 | 1:12,822 | 1,634 |
| Senegal | 100% | 3 | 1:4,860,452 | 20,187 |
| Croatia | - | 2 | 1:2,108,538 | 15,895 |
| Cuba | - | 2 | 1:5,753,276 | 9,613 |
| Faroe Islands | 100% | 2 | 1:24,564 | 1,836 |
| Latvia | - | 2 | 1:1,007,822 | 4,547 |
| Slovakia | 100% | 2 | 1:2,655,032 | 6,915 |
| Albania | 100% | 1 | 1:3,046,570 | 49,159 |
| Armenia | - | 1 | 1:2,918,753 | 14,910 |
| Azerbaijan | - | 1 | 1:9,642,944 | 42,290 |
| Belarus | - | 1 | 1:9,482,384 | 20,892 |
| Bhutan | - | 1 | 1:824,928 | 6,865 |
| Bulgaria | - | 1 | 1:6,990,390 | 27,036 |
| Central African Republic | - | 1 | 1:4,515,390 | 1,073 |
| Congo | 100% | 1 | 1:5,009,205 | 37,978 |
| Estonia | - | 1 | 1:1,315,380 | 8,883 |
| Hungary | 100% | 1 | 1:9,791,771 | 6,528 |
| Ivory Coast | 100% | 1 | 1:23,075,933 | 135,227 |
| Jordan | 100% | 1 | 1:8,826,774 | 11,126 |
| Kazakhstan | - | 1 | 1:17,746,845 | 44,366 |
| Kyrgyzstan | - | 1 | 1:5,973,277 | 46,622 |
| Liechtenstein | - | 1 | 1:37,856 | 1,091 |
| Lithuania | - | 1 | 1:2,951,882 | 5,377 |
| North Macedonia | - | 1 | 1:2,090,757 | 15,787 |
| Maldives | - | 1 | 1:433,903 | 5,827 |
| Moldova | - | 1 | 1:3,561,139 | 8,690 |
| Nauru | 100% | 1 | 1:11,927 | 903 |
| Nepal | - | 1 | 1:28,487,352 | 119,417 |
| Northern Cyprus | 100% | 1 | 1:318,133 | 3,044 |
| Palau | - | 1 | 1:21,711 | 239 |
| Pitcairn Islands | 100% | 1 | 1:52 | 1 |
| Rwanda | - | 1 | 1:11,371,433 | 4,615 |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 100% | 1 | 1:6,315 | 385 |
| San Marino | 100% | 1 | 1:32,920 | 787 |
| Sudan | - | 1 | 1:37,806,975 | 10,689 |
| Syria | - | 1 | 1:19,306,075 | 9,560 |
| Tonga | - | 1 | 1:107,436 | 779 |
| Ukraine | - | 1 | 1:45,499,908 | 32,056 |
| Uzbekistan | - | 1 | 1:30,786,440 | 17,476 |
The alternate forms: Shirlêy (1) are calculated separately.
Shirley (51,449) may also be a surname.
Shirley Forename Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
A female name. this is apparently a surname (derived from a place-name) used as a christian name. The first example noted is the heroine of Charlotte Bronte’s novel Shirley (1849), who, as an only child and an heiress, was given ‘the masculine cognomen’ Shirley, a family name. I have found no clue to the modern prevalence of Shirley as a christian name in the Southern States of the USA. There is every sign that it is about to become a common name in England, owing to the number of children named after the child film-star, Shirley Temple.
— The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Names (1947) by E. G. Withycombe
A girl’s name not much used before the late C19. From the surname.
— Name This Child (1959) by Eric Partridge
A Teutonic name, meaning: [Dweller on the] sunny lea.
— Dictionary of Given Names with Origins and Meanings (1934) by Flora Haines Loughead
A Teutonic name, meaning: [Dweller at the] shire meadow.
— Dictionary of Given Names with Origins and Meanings (1934) by Flora Haines Loughead
Shirley Forename Popularity
Shirley Demographics
Shirley Political Affiliation
in United States
Sample size: 176,191 (2014)
United States
Average
Phonetically Similar Names
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Footnotes
- First names are taken from the first part of an person's personal name. That is, not their inherited name(s), i.e. their surname(s). The first name includes particles, but not middle names
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Shirley