Shirley
Meaning: Its source is scir leah, an Old English name meaning "Sunny glade."
Popularity: The name Shirley ranked 936th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.
Narrative: This is a British aristocratic surname.
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Meaning: Its source is scir leah, an Old English name meaning "Sunny glade."
Languages: This girl's name is used in English.
Nicknames: Shirl
Compound Forms: Shirlynn
Popularity: The name Shirley ranked 848th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 27th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.
Narrative: Beginning its existence as a British aristocratic surname, Shirley was first used as a personal name for males. Two influential females changed all that.
In Charlotte Brontë's 1849 novel Shirley, the title character was given the name because her parents wanted a boy.
What Brontë began, a certain Miss Shirley Temple finished. This little powerhouse brought her irresistible face and voice, her acting and dancing skill, and her name into the movie theatres and hearts of America and Britain. In the wake of her overwhelming fame, the name Shirley has become overwhelmingly feminized (except in a few holdout areas in the British Midlands). Stars Shirley MacLaine, Shirley Jones and Shirley Booth have continued the trend.
Leadership
- Shirley A. Chisholm (born 1924)
American politician. The first African-American woman elected to Congress.
- Representative, D-New York, 1969-83 (see list of Women in the House of Representatives)
- Shirley M. Hufstedler (born 1925)
American government official.
- U.S. secretary of education, 1979-81 (see list of Women Cabinet Members)
- Shirley Neil Pettis (born 1924)
American politician.
- Representative, R-California, 1975-79 (see list of Women in the House of Representatives)
Miscellaneous
- Shirley Temple Black (born 1928)
American actress and diplomat.
- On the cover of Sgt. Pepper''s Lonely Hearts Club Band (see list of Faces on the Cover of ''Sergeant Pepper'')
- Shirley A. Chisholm (born 1924)
American politician. The first African-American woman elected to Congress.
- Member of National Women''s Hall of Fame (see list of National Women's Hall of Fame Members)
- Shirley Cothran
- 1975 Miss America, representing Texas (see list of Miss America Winners)
- Shirley Fry
American tennis player.
- 1956 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)
- Shirley Knight (born 1936)
American actress.
- 1964 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)
- Shirley O'Neill
- 1959 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)
Science and Philosophy
- Shirley Ann Jackson (born 1946)
American physicist.
- Chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 1995- (see list of Mathematicians, Physicists & Astronomers)
Sports
- Shirley Bloomer
- 1957 French Open tennis champion (see list of French Open Tennis Champions)
- Shirley Englehorn
- 1970 Ladies'' Professional Golf Association champion (see list of LPGA Champions)
- Shirley Fry
American tennis player.
- 1956 U.S. Open tennis champion (see list of U.S. Open Tennis Champions)
- 1956 Wimbledon tennis champion (see list of Wimbledon Tennis Champions)
- 1951 French Open tennis champion (see list of French Open Tennis Champions)
- 1957 Australian Open tennis champion (see list of Australian Open Tennis Champions)
- Shirley Garms
- IMember of the Women''s International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame (see list of Women's International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame)
- Shirley Muldowney
Race-car driver.
- Member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame for Drag Racing (see list of Members of the Motorsports Hall of Fame)
Stage and Screen
- Shirley Temple Black (born 1928)
American actress and diplomat.
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
- 1998 Kennedy Center Honors recipient (see list of Kennedy Center Honors Recipients)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Shirley Booth (born 1907, died 1992)
American actress.
- 1950 Tony Award winner for her performance in Come Back, Little Sheba; 1953 winner for Time of the Cuckoo (see list of Tony Winners for Best Actress in a Play)
- 1952 Academy Award winner for her performance in Come Back, Little Sheba (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Actress)
- Winner of the 1953 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress award, for Come Back, Little Sheba (see list of Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Winners)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Shirley Jones (born 1934)
American actress.
- 1960 Academy Award winner for her performance in Elmer Gantry (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Supporting Actress)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Portrayed Shirley Partridge (see list of Actors on ''The Partridge Family'')
- Shirley MacLaine (born 1934)
American actress, singer and author.
- 1983 Academy Award winner for her performance in Terms of Endearment (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Actress)
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Shirley Partridge
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Shirley Jones (see list of Characters on ''The Partridge Family'')
The Literary World
- Shirley Christian
- 1981 Pulitzer Prize winner for International Reporting (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting)
- Shirley Dunbar
Fictional character.
- A phone station officer in Las Vegas in Stephen King''s novel The Stand (see list of Characters in The Stand)
- Shirley Ann Grau (born 1929)
American novelist and journalist.
- 1965 Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction, for The Keepers of the House (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
- Wrote Nine Women (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
- Shirley Hardie Jackson (born 1919, died 1965)
American short-story writer.
- Wrote ''''The Lottery'''' (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
Teasing Nicknames:
- Squirrel
- Shugar
- Sure
- Squirley Shirley
- Shirley Girly
- Surely you must be joking!
- Shud
Name: Shirley
List:
- Shirley on Google
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