Is Shirley a boy or girl name?
Shirley is a girl name in the US. In 2024, 151 girls and 0 boys were named Shirley, so 100% were girls. Across 1880–2024, 98.6% of the 695,797 US babies named Shirley were girls.
- Boy rank, 2024
- Not ranked
- Girl rank, 2024
- #1,453
- Babies named Shirley since 1880
- 695,797
- Most popular year
- 1935
- 42,800 babies
Boys and girls named Shirley, by decade
| Decade | Boys | Girls | Share girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 122 | 179 | 59.5% |
| 1890s | 175 | 535 | 75.4% |
| 1900s | 216 | 1,710 | 88.8% |
| 1910s | 1,256 | 12,742 | 91% |
| 1920s | 2,300 | 98,601 | 97.7% |
| 1930s | 2,911 | 229,378 | 98.7% |
| 1940s | 1,473 | 171,780 | 99.1% |
| 1950s | 622 | 108,807 | 99.4% |
| 1960s | 309 | 38,077 | 99.2% |
| 1970s | 103 | 10,520 | 99% |
| 1980s | 52 | 5,073 | 99% |
| 1990s | 12 | 3,692 | 99.7% |
| 2000s | 0 | 2,734 | 100% |
| 2010s | 0 | 1,752 | 100% |
| 2020s | 0 | 666 | 100% |
Every year
| Year | Boys | Boy rank | Girls | Girl rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0 | – | 151 | #1,453 |
| 2023 | 0 | – | 139 | #1,539 |
| 2022 | 0 | – | 134 | #1,588 |
| 2021 | 0 | – | 105 | #1,892 |
| 2020 | 0 | – | 137 | #1,549 |
| 2019 | 0 | – | 148 | #1,486 |
| 2018 | 0 | – | 152 | #1,450 |
| 2017 | 0 | – | 185 | #1,278 |
| 2016 | 0 | – | 168 | #1,393 |
| 2015 | 0 | – | 181 | #1,313 |
| 2014 | 0 | – | 202 | #1,213 |
| 2013 | 0 | – | 174 | #1,346 |
| 2012 | 0 | – | 176 | #1,338 |
| 2011 | 0 | – | 188 | #1,270 |
| 2010 | 0 | – | 178 | #1,325 |
| 2009 | 0 | – | 233 | #1,100 |
| 2008 | 0 | – | 304 | #908 |
| 2007 | 0 | – | 288 | #943 |
| 2006 | 0 | – | 249 | #1,032 |
| 2005 | 0 | – | 284 | #890 |
| 2004 | 0 | – | 240 | #990 |
| 2003 | 0 | – | 313 | #793 |
| 2002 | 0 | – | 259 | #878 |
| 2001 | 0 | – | 305 | #781 |
| 2000 | 0 | – | 259 | #851 |
| 1999 | 0 | – | 231 | #918 |
| 1998 | 0 | – | 293 | #742 |
| 1997 | 0 | – | 333 | #661 |
| 1996 | 0 | – | 339 | #655 |
| 1995 | 0 | – | 343 | #636 |
| 1994 | 0 | – | 380 | #593 |
| 1993 | 7 | #7,503 | 406 | #580 |
| 1992 | 5 | #9,606 | 449 | #530 |
| 1991 | 0 | – | 446 | #525 |
| 1990 | 0 | – | 472 | #510 |
| 1989 | 0 | – | 457 | #514 |
| 1988 | 6 | #7,117 | 462 | #492 |
| 1987 | 6 | #6,820 | 459 | #473 |
| 1986 | 5 | #7,672 | 435 | #492 |
| 1985 | 5 | #7,431 | 494 | #443 |
| 1984 | 5 | #7,170 | 477 | #438 |
| 1983 | 10 | #4,101 | 506 | #428 |
| 1982 | 7 | #5,537 | 601 | #385 |
| 1981 | 0 | – | 579 | #391 |
| 1980 | 8 | #4,876 | 603 | #380 |
| 1979 | 7 | #5,283 | 671 | #346 |
| 1978 | 9 | #4,117 | 647 | #336 |
| 1977 | 0 | – | 777 | #307 |
| 1976 | 12 | #3,236 | 834 | #277 |
| 1975 | 6 | #5,358 | 875 | #278 |
| 1974 | 12 | #3,099 | 1,010 | #254 |
| 1973 | 7 | #4,436 | 1,155 | #218 |
| 1972 | 13 | #2,803 | 1,334 | #209 |
| 1971 | 18 | #2,265 | 1,588 | #193 |
| 1970 | 19 | #2,112 | 1,629 | #198 |
| 1969 | 25 | #1,670 | 1,867 | #173 |
| 1968 | 13 | #2,429 | 2,142 | #150 |
| 1967 | 31 | #1,383 | 2,508 | #142 |
| 1966 | 36 | #1,276 | 2,919 | #124 |
| 1965 | 31 | #1,402 | 3,370 | #111 |
| 1964 | 27 | #1,538 | 3,968 | #103 |
| 1963 | 27 | #1,543 | 4,385 | #99 |
| 1962 | 36 | #1,309 | 4,870 | #96 |
| 1961 | 36 | #1,345 | 5,638 | #85 |
| 1960 | 47 | #1,151 | 6,410 | #70 |
| 1959 | 41 | #1,225 | 7,284 | #61 |
| 1958 | 53 | #1,059 | 8,088 | #52 |
| 1957 | 62 | #969 | 8,855 | #46 |
| 1956 | 54 | #1,030 | 9,429 | #41 |
| 1955 | 51 | #1,064 | 9,756 | #37 |
| 1954 | 66 | #914 | 10,908 | #33 |
| 1953 | 68 | #873 | 12,149 | #29 |
| 1952 | 67 | #859 | 12,529 | #28 |
| 1951 | 78 | #802 | 13,918 | #27 |
| 1950 | 82 | #760 | 15,891 | #19 |
| 1949 | 83 | #759 | 17,282 | #18 |
| 1948 | 71 | #811 | 16,122 | #20 |
| 1947 | 124 | #613 | 17,647 | #19 |
| 1946 | 145 | #536 | 17,869 | #18 |
| 1945 | 143 | #500 | 16,150 | #14 |
| 1944 | 128 | #540 | 16,310 | #15 |
| 1943 | 186 | #463 | 17,816 | #12 |
| 1942 | 205 | #429 | 17,749 | #12 |
| 1941 | 174 | #447 | 16,955 | #10 |
| 1940 | 214 | #390 | 17,880 | #9 |
| 1939 | 238 | #370 | 20,445 | #5 |
| 1938 | 265 | #343 | 23,766 | #5 |
| 1937 | 337 | #293 | 26,823 | #4 |
| 1936 | 381 | #277 | 35,162 | #2 |
| 1935 | 435 | #259 | 42,365 | #2 |
| 1934 | 288 | #319 | 22,841 | #4 |
| 1933 | 213 | #373 | 14,320 | #9 |
| 1932 | 242 | #358 | 14,476 | #9 |
| 1931 | 239 | #363 | 14,405 | #9 |
| 1930 | 273 | #338 | 14,775 | #11 |
| 1929 | 263 | #347 | 14,576 | #9 |
| 1928 | 249 | #370 | 14,215 | #10 |
| 1927 | 242 | #379 | 13,314 | #9 |
| 1926 | 214 | #412 | 11,761 | #14 |
| 1925 | 223 | #402 | 10,513 | #17 |
| 1924 | 226 | #410 | 9,489 | #19 |
| 1923 | 231 | #391 | 7,918 | #26 |
| 1922 | 229 | #399 | 6,407 | #39 |
| 1921 | 227 | #404 | 5,695 | #44 |
| 1920 | 196 | #429 | 4,713 | #56 |
| 1919 | 197 | #418 | 3,149 | #89 |
| 1918 | 182 | #442 | 2,654 | #97 |
| 1917 | 172 | #432 | 1,800 | #123 |
| 1916 | 155 | #451 | 1,245 | #160 |
| 1915 | 171 | #415 | 1,135 | #162 |
| 1914 | 141 | #403 | 906 | #160 |
| 1913 | 113 | #407 | 684 | #169 |
| 1912 | 66 | #489 | 489 | #198 |
| 1911 | 35 | #503 | 362 | #198 |
| 1910 | 24 | #596 | 318 | #204 |
| 1909 | 33 | #447 | 281 | #203 |
| 1908 | 22 | #551 | 284 | #198 |
| 1907 | 17 | #633 | 247 | #208 |
| 1906 | 23 | #471 | 187 | #234 |
| 1905 | 16 | #611 | 162 | #257 |
| 1904 | 24 | #443 | 138 | #272 |
| 1903 | 17 | #548 | 102 | #309 |
| 1902 | 22 | #456 | 104 | #311 |
| 1901 | 10 | #721 | 95 | #308 |
| 1900 | 32 | #401 | 110 | #324 |
| 1899 | 14 | #544 | 74 | #347 |
| 1898 | 15 | #567 | 70 | #373 |
| 1897 | 20 | #436 | 61 | #373 |
| 1896 | 12 | #669 | 55 | #384 |
| 1895 | 28 | #357 | 43 | #436 |
| 1894 | 22 | #408 | 47 | #408 |
| 1893 | 15 | #503 | 52 | #377 |
| 1892 | 15 | #538 | 58 | #347 |
| 1891 | 15 | #471 | 35 | #428 |
| 1890 | 19 | #423 | 40 | #405 |
| 1889 | 13 | #547 | 42 | #378 |
| 1888 | 14 | #552 | 32 | #442 |
| 1887 | 9 | #674 | 20 | #509 |
| 1886 | 17 | #446 | 16 | #570 |
| 1885 | 17 | #457 | 16 | #555 |
| 1884 | 11 | #603 | 18 | #498 |
| 1883 | 13 | #517 | 18 | #463 |
| 1882 | 11 | #605 | 9 | #670 |
| 1881 | 7 | #773 | 0 | – |
| 1880 | 10 | #630 | 8 | #671 |
Highest rank
As a boy name, Shirley reached #259 in 1935. As a girl name, it reached #2 in 1935. Ranks count every name SSA published for that year and sex, so they go well past the top 1,000.
Names from the same era
These names were also most popular in the 1930s, with a similar number of babies. They can work as sibling or middle names that feel like they belong together.
Names spelled like Shirley
Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880–2024. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.