How Many People Are Named Shirl?
An estimated 1,188 people in the United States have the first name Shirl. It is used for both genders, with 74.7% female. The average bearer is 65 years old, and Shirl peaked in popularity in 1964 with 216 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shirl as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Shirl paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Shirl has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
- With an average bearer age of 65, Shirl is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1971.
Estimated Living Americans
1,188
About 1 in 288,514 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
74.7% confidence
Average Age
65
years old
Peak Year
1964
216 births
Total Registered
1,771
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shirl
Shirl is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (25.3%) and females (74.7%). Out of 1,771 total births registered, 448 were male and 1,323 were female.
Shirl as a male name
Ranked #4,450 in 1966
5 male births in 1966
Peak: 1938 (22 births)
Shirl as a female name
Ranked #11,781 in 1983
5 female births in 1983
Peak: 1964 (210 births)
Shirl: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shirl span from the 1910s to the 1980s, covering 8 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 814 babies were registered. Shirl has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Shirl by Decade
How has Shirl tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Shirl by State
Birth registrations for Shirl span all 20 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, Texas, Maryland. The lowest are in New Jersey, Arkansas, Louisiana. On average, about 25 Shirls were registered per state.
Shirl + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shirl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shirl
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shirl: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shirl?
We estimate approximately 1,188 people named Shirl are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 288,514 Americans share this first name.
Is Shirl a common name?
Shirl is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 91.2% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 1,771 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shirl most popular?
Shirl reached peak popularity in 1964, when 216 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shirl is approximately 65 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Shirl a female name?
Shirl is predominantly female. 74.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Shirl Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shirl Smith, Shirl Johnson, Shirl Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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