Female name
Shirley
261 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 2001. Expression number: 6.
Origin
English place name from Old English sċīr (“county”) + lēah (“meadow”). Equivalent to shire + -ley (“lea”). More at shire, leigh.From Wiktionary, entry “Shirley”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 2001: 18 births. 261 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. It is still given: 30 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1935: 42,801 births. 695,934 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. At its peak, it ranked 2nd among girls' names in 1935. It really came into use around 1882. It is still given: 662 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1974: 140 births. 1,787 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. At its peak, it ranked 64th among girls' names in 1971. Fewer than ten births recorded from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 4,560 | 1900–2025 | — |
| Argentina | 1,278 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Switzerland | 377* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Quebec | 177 | 1980–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0.
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
6
responsibility, harmony, commitment to others
1 + 8 + 9 + 9 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 42 → 6
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
5
freedom, change, movement
9 + 5 = 14 → 5
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
1
initiative, independence, beginnings
1 + 8 + 9 + 3 + 7 = 28 → 1
- Digits missing from the name
- 2, 4, 6
- Most frequent digit
- 9 · humanity, generosity, completion
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.