How popular is the baby name Shirley in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Shirley.

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Popularity of the baby name Shirley


Posts that mention the name Shirley

How did “Room 222” influence baby names?

The Emmy Award-winning television series Room 222 (1969-1974) was set at a racially diverse high school in Los Angeles. Ahead of its time in terms of realism and authenticity, the show frequently dealt with topical issues such as civil rights, women’s rights, drug use, and the Vietnam War.

We don’t hear much about Room 222 these days, but the series did leave a mark on baby names. Here are three Room 222-associated debuts I’ve spotted so far:

Keone

Actor Keone Young in the TV show "Room 222" (1969-1974).
Keone Young in “Room 222

The show’s second episode, “Naked Came We Into the World” (Sept. 1969), featured a character named Howie Wong played by actor Keone (pronounced kee-oh-nee) Young. The same year, the name Keone started appearing in the U.S. baby name data:

  • 1971: 5 baby boys named Keone
    • all 5 born in Hawaii
  • 1970: 6 baby boys named Keone
  • 1969: 6 baby boys named Keone [debut]
    • 5 born in Hawaii
  • 1968: unlisted
  • 1967: unlisted

Keone Young is a native of Hawaii, and the Hawaiian name Keone means “the sand” or, by extension, “the homeland.”

Tatanisha

Actor Ta-Tanisha in the TV show "Room 222" (1969-1974).
Ta-Tanisha in “Room 222

Actress Ta-Tanisha, who played the character Pam Simpson, was featured in dozens of episodes from 1969 to 1972. (She was also on other TV shows — Mod Squad, Mission Impossible, The Partridge Family, Good Times, etc. — during the same time period.) The name Tatanisha started appearing in the data in 1970:

  • 1972: 111 baby girls named Tatanisha [peak usage]
  • 1971: 57 baby girls named Tatanisha
  • 1970: 9 baby girls named Tatanisha [debut]
  • 1969: unlisted
  • 1968: unlisted

Usage of the similar name Tanisha also rose drastically during this time:

  • 1972: 629 baby girls named Tanisha [rank: 352nd]
  • 1971: 374 baby girls named Tanisha [rank: 506th]
  • 1970: 129 baby girls named Tanisha [rank: 978th]
  • 1969: 27 baby girls named Tanisha
  • 1968: 12 baby girls named Tanisha

Ta-Tanisha was born Shirley Cummings; her stage name is based on the Swahili word tatanisha, meaning “perplexing,” “confusing.” (The translation sometimes offered to the press was “the puzzling one.”)

Heshimu

Actor Heshimu in the TV show "Room 222" (1969-1974).
Heshimu in “Room 222

Actor Heshimu, who played the character Jason Allen, was featured in ninety episodes from 1969 to 1974. The name Heshimu started appearing in the data in 1971:

  • 1973: 9 baby boys named Heshimu
  • 1972: 15 baby boys named Heshimu
  • 1971: 6 baby boys named Heshimu [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

Heshimu’s name is based on the Swahili word heshimu, meaning “respect.”

…Which of these three names do you like best?

Sources:

P.S. I couldn’t resist scheduling this post for 2/2/2022. ;)

Baby name story: Skye

In March of 2006, a Scottish woman named Shirley Anne Hodge went into labor amid wintry weather that turned the 40-minute drive to Ayrshire Central Hospital into a trek that “took four hours and involved three vehicles, including a helicopter.” (The other two vehicles were an ambulance and a police jeep, both of which got stuck in snow.)

After the airlift, she gave birth to a baby girl at the hospital.

The baby’s name? Skye.

My hunch is that the name was a nod to the helicopter ride, though my source didn’t state that explicitly.

(Another potential influence might be Scotland’s Isle of Skye.)

Source: “Pregnant woman in airlift drama.” BBC 12 Mar. 2006.

Where did the baby name Shirelle come from in 1961?

shirelles, music, girl group, 1960s
The Shirelles

The name Shirelle debuted impressively in the U.S. baby name data 1961:

  • 1963: 25 baby girls named Shirelle
  • 1962: 19 baby girls named Shirelle
  • 1961: 21 baby girls named Shirelle [debut]
  • 1960: unlisted
  • 1959: unlisted

The variant spelling Shirell debuted that year as well.

What influenced both of these names?

The Shirelles, a New Jersey-based girl-group made up teenagers named Shirley, Doris, Addie, and Beverly.

Signed in the late ’50s, the foursome became famous in the early ’60s with a string of hits including “Tonight’s the Night,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in early 1961), and “Mama Said.”

The group’s name was created by combining the “Shir-” of Shirley (the primary lead singer) with a trendy “-elle” ending. The result was reminiscent of the name of the New York fivesome The Chantels.

Which name do you like better, Shirelle or Chantel?

Quotes about names from the movies

Scene from the movie "Bridesmaids" (2011)
Scene from “Bridesmaids

From the 2011 movie Bridesmaids, drunk bridesmaid Annie (played by Kristen Wiig) being kicked out of first class by flight attendant Steve:

Annie: Whatever you say, Stove.

Steve: It’s Steve.

Annie: “Stove” — what kinda name is that?

Steve: That’s not a name. My name is Steve.

Annie: Are you an appliance?

Steve: No I’m a man, and my name is Steve.

From the 1995 movie Clueless, high school student Cher on the similarity between her name and that of her best friend Dionne:

We were both named after great singers of the past who now do infomercials.

(Dionne’s name comes from Dionne Warwick.)

From the 1984 movie This is Spinal Tap, Marty DiBergi interviewing David St. Hubbins:

Marty: David St. Hubbins…I must admit I’ve never heard anybody with that name.

David: It’s an unusual name. Well, he was an unusual saint. He’s not a very well known saint.

Marty: Oh, there actually is, uh, there was a Saint Hubbins?

David: That’s right, yes.

Marty: What was he the saint of?

David: He was the patron saint of quality footwear.

From the 2006 movie Casino Royale, James Bond commenting about Vesper Lynd’s first name:

‘Vesper.’ I do hope you gave your parents hell for that.

From the 1984 movie Splash, character Allen (played by Tom Hanks) talking with his then-nameless lady friend (played by Daryl Hannah) as they walk around New York City:

Woman: What are English names?

Allen: Well, there’s millions of them, I guess. Jennifer, Joanie, Hilary. (Careful, hey, those are hot!) See names, names… Linda, Kim– (Where are we? Madison.) Uh, Elizabeth, Samantha–

Woman: Madison…I like Madison!

Allen: Madison’s not a name… Well, all right, ok, fine, Madison it is. Good thing we weren’t at 149th Street.

The name SanDeE* in the movie "LA Story" (1991)
Scene from “LA Story

From the 1991 movie LA Story, a conversation between Harris (played by Steve Martin) and SanDeE* (played by Sarah Jessica Parker):

Harris: What was your name again?

Sandee: SanDeE*

Harris: I’m sorry, Sandy, Sandy… It’s a nice name. Everybody has such weird names now, it’s like Tiffany with a P-H-I, and instead of Nancy it’s Nancine. [He begins to write her name down.]

Sandee: Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E.

Harris: What?

Sandee: Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E. [She grabs his hand and writes directly on it.] Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E. Then there’s a little star at the end.

From the 1999 movie Superstar, character Mary Katherine Gallagher talking to schoolmate Evian:

You know what, Evi? You should be really embarrassed, because your parents named you after bottled water.

From the 2010 movie Sex and the City 2, characters Carrie and Aidan talk about Aidan’s three sons:

Carrie: My god, three?

Aidan: Homer, Wyatt, Tate.

Carrie: Sounds like a country music band.

From the 1949 movie Mother Is a Freshman, about a 35-year-old widow, Abigail (played by Loretta Young), who starts attending the college that her daughter Susan goes to:

Abigail: I mean about the Abigail Fortitude Memorial Scholarship.

Susan: The one they give to any girl whose first two names are Abigail Fortitude?

Abigail: Yes.

Susan: Clara Fettle says no one’s applied for it since 1907, and there’s zillions piling up.

Abigail: And you never told me!

Susan: Of course not.

Abigail: It never occurred to you that my first names are Abigail Fortitude–that I’ve had to put up with them all my life!

Susan: I know, Mom. It must have been awful.

Abigail [struck by thought]: Maybe that’s why my mother gave me those names. Maybe she know about the scholarship.

(Turns out the scholarship had been set up by Abigail’s grandmother, also named Abigail Fortitude.)

From the 2000 movie Where the Heart Is, character Lexie (Ashley Judd) talking about her kids’ names:

I call my kids after snack foods: Brownie, Praline, Cherry and Baby Ruth.

Characters Andie and Duckie from the movie "Pretty in Pink" (1986)
Scene from “Pretty in Pink

From the 1986 movie Pretty in Pink, part of a heated conversion between Andie (played by Molly Ringwald) and Duckie (played by Jon Cryer)

Andie: You know you’re talking like that just because I’m going out with Blane.

Duckie: Blane? His name is Blane? That’s a major appliance, that’s not a name!

From the 2013 animated movie Despicable Me 2:

Gru: Goodnight Margo…whoa, hold your horses. Who are you texting?

Margo: My friend Avery.

Gru: Avery. Avery? Is that a girl’s name or a boy’s name?

Margo: Does it matter?

Gru: No, no, it doesn’t matter…unless it’s a boy!

(Incidentally, Gru’s first name is Felonious.)

From the 1980 disaster movie spoof Airplane!:

Dr. Rumack: Can you fly this plane and land it?

Ted Striker: Surely you can’t be serious.

Dr. Rumack: I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.

For more quotes about names, check out the name quotes category.

Images: Screenshots of Bridesmaids, LA Story, and Pretty in Pink

[Latest update: Sept. 2023]