The baby name Shireen first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1923:
- 1925: unlisted
- 1924: unlisted
- 1923: 5 baby girls named Shireen [debut]
- 1922: unlisted
- 1921: unlisted
A similar uptick can be seen in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) data the same year:
- 1925: 3 people named Shireen
- 1924: 2 people named Shireen
- 1923: 4 people named Shireen
- 1922: no one named Shireen
- 1921: 1 person named Shireen
What was drawing attention to the name Shireen around that time?
Two different characters in the silent film Omar the Tentmaker, which was released in December of 1922.
The movie was loosely based on the life of medieval Iranian polymath Omar Khayyam. Here’s how it was described in an advertisement:
Omar, most daring poet of ancient Persia, secretly wooed the beautiful, the forbidden Shireen, destined to be the bride of the Shah. Fleeing in the night, the Shah’s slaves tear them apart. Follows thrill, romance and conflict before the lovers are reunited in a most spectacular and smashing climax.
The plot, which spans a number of years, actually features two romances: the primary one between Omar (played by Guy Bates Post) and Shireen (Virginia Brown Faire), and a secondary one between the couple’s grown daughter “little Shireen” (Patsy Ruth Miller) and a Christian crusader.
The film was adapted from the 1914 play of the same name by playwright Richard Walton Tully.
The Persian name Shireen (also spelled Shirin) is transliteration of a Persian word meaning “sweet.” What are your thoughts on the name?
Sources:
- “Omar the Tentmaker” [Advertisement]. Motion Picture News 6 Jan. 1923: 42-3.
- Smith, Alison. “The Screen in Review.” Picture-Play Mar. 1923: 69-72.
- Omar the Tentmaker (1922) – Turner Classic Movies
- SSA
Image: Clipping from Shadowland magazine (Oct. 1922)