Shirlee
Shirlee was not among the names given to 5 or more girls in 2025. Its best year was 1935, when it ranked 347th with 340 babies. More babies were named Shirlee in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Shirley) bright clearing; shire meadow · English, Old English
- Rank in 2025
- Not rankedgirls
- Babies in 2025
- 0girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1935340 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,714babies recorded
What does the name Shirlee mean?
Shirlee is a spelling of Shirley, pronounced the same way, so it shares Shirley's meaning and origin.
Shirley is an English place name and surname from Old English scīr and lēah, as Wiktionary explains; scīr can mean 'shire, district' or 'bright', so the place names are read as 'county meadow' or 'bright clearing'. Originally a boys' name, it became a girls' name after Charlotte Brontë's novel Shirley (1849), and child star Shirley Temple made it hugely popular in the 1930s.
scīr (Old English, “shire; bright”)lēah (Old English, “clearing, meadow”)
How sure is this? Well established. Which sense of scīr applies varies by place.
Related names: Shirlee, Shirl.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Shirley', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Shirlee popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 1929.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — |
| 2020 | — | — |
| 2010 | — | — |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | #10,053 | 8 |
| 1980 | #7,320 | 9 |
| 1970 | #2,923 | 24 |
| 1960 | #1,557 | 52 |
| 1950 | #947 | 90 |
| 1940 | #720 | 94 |
| 1930 | #562 | 147 |
| 1920 | #891 | 67 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Shirlee, counting every spelling?
Shirlee is a spelling of Shirley, a name family that ranked #1,441 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 133 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shirley | 133 | #1,586 | 662 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How old are people named Shirlee?
About 2,100 people born in the US named Shirlee are alive today, with a median age of 75; half are between 67 and 84. That makes Shirlee a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Shirlee by state
How common Shirlee was among girls born in each state in 1933–1937, around its peak. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (5.4×), Washington (4.5×), Oregon (4.1×), Iowa (2.8×), California (2.4×). In 27 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Shirlee: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Shirlee, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Shirlee
What does Shirlee mean?
Shirlee is a spelling of Shirley, which means “bright clearing; shire meadow” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Shirlee?
Shirlee was not among the names given to 5 or more girls in 2025. Its best year was 1935, when it ranked 347th with 340 babies. More babies were named Shirlee in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Shirlee a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Shirlee in the US.
Where was Shirlee most popular?
In 1933–1937, Shirlee was most common in Utah (1.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by Washington and Oregon.