How Many People Are Named Shirley?
An estimated 250,929 people in the United States have the first name Shirley. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #202 overall. It is predominantly female (98.6%). The average bearer is 74 years old, and Shirley peaked in popularity in 1935 with 42,800 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shirley as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Shirley paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Shirley is overwhelmingly female, 9,551 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 74, Shirley is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1962.
- Shirley has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
250,929
About 1 in 1,366 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
98.6% confidence
Average Age
74
years old
Peak Year
1935
42,800 births
Total Registered
695,797
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shirley
Shirley is predominantly female (98.6%), though 9,551 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Shirley as a male name
Ranked #7,503 in 1993
7 male births in 1993
Peak: 1935 (435 births)
Shirley as a female name
Ranked #1,453 in 2024
151 female births in 2024
Peak: 1935 (42,365 births)
Shirley in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 360,153 people with the first name Shirley, which placed it at #138 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Shirley was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 360,153 people with this name in that snapshot, 0.4% were male and 99.6% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 98.6% of the time.
Census Count
360,153
people with this name
Census Rank
#138
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
119.24
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Shirley was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (72.72%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (18.13%) and Hispanic (3.45%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Shirley in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Shirley.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 72.72% | 261,898 |
| Black | 18.13% | 65,282 |
| Hispanic | 3.45% | 12,432 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.00% | 10,800 |
| Two or More Races | 1.99% | 7,185 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.71% | 2,555 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Shirley: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shirley span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 232,289 babies were registered. Shirley has declined significantly from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Shirley by Decade
How has Shirley 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.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 301 | 122 | 179 | |
| 1890s | 710 | 175 | 535 | |
| 1900s | 1,926 | 216 | 1,710 | |
| 1910s | 13,998 | 1,256 | 12,742 | |
| 1920s | 100,901 | 2,300 | 98,601 | |
| 1930s | 232,289 | 2,911 | 229,378 | |
| 1940s | 173,253 | 1,473 | 171,780 | |
| 1950s | 109,429 | 622 | 108,807 | |
| 1960s | 38,386 | 309 | 38,077 | |
| 1970s | 10,623 | 103 | 10,520 | |
| 1980s | 5,125 | 52 | 5,073 | |
| 1990s | 3,704 | 12 | 3,692 | |
| 2000s | 2,734 | 0 | 2,734 | |
| 2010s | 1,752 | 0 | 1,752 | |
| 2020s | 666 | 0 | 666 | |
Shirley by State
Birth registrations for Shirley span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Delaware. On average, about 13,476 Shirleys were registered per state.
Shirley + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shirley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shirley
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shirley: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shirley?
We estimate approximately 250,929 people named Shirley 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 1,366 Americans share this first name.
Is Shirley a common name?
Shirley is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 695,797 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shirley most popular?
Shirley reached peak popularity in 1935, when 42,800 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shirley is approximately 74 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Shirley in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 360,153 people with the first name Shirley. That placed it at #138 in the published Census first-name tables, or 119.24 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Shirley was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Shirley?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Shirley was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 0.4% male and 99.6% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Shirley?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Shirley was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (72.72%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (18.13%) and Hispanic (3.45%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Shirley a female name?
Shirley is predominantly female. 98.6% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Shirley have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Shirley peaked in 1935, and the average living bearer is about 74 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Shirley Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shirley Smith, Shirley Johnson, Shirley 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.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me