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Shirley

Girl name · 695 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Shirley: 695 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 135 births in 1974.

Shirley began as an English surname, rooted in Old English *scīr* (“bright”) and *lēah* (“clearing” or “meadow”), describing a sunlit woodland glade. The name gained widespread popularity through one of the most famous child stars of all time, Shirley Temple, whose dimpled smile and tap-dancing buoyed America through the Great Depression. Other notable bearers include actress and author Shirley MacLaine, and Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. Several English settlements share the name, including Shirley in Surrey