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Home β€Ί Baby Names Directory β€Ί Shirl

Shirl

β™‚ Boy

Pronounced SHURL /ΛˆΚƒΙœΛrl/Medium

Meaning: Shirl is a clipped form of Shirley, whose roots are the Old English scir (bright) and leah (wood clearing or meadow). It began as a place and surname before becoming a first name.Medium

In 30 seconds: Shirl is a short form of Shirley, from Old English words for a bright meadow or clearing. It was a scarce early-twentieth-century boy's name (said SHURL).
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningShirl is a clipped form of Shirley, whose roots are the Old English scir (bright) and leah (wood clearing or meadow). It began as a place and surname before becoming a first name.
U.S. rank (1966)#4450 β†˜ Falling
1966 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1938
Total births (all-time)β‰ˆ 448

Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data

peak 193819151966

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Shirl is a trimmed form of Shirley, built from the Old English scir, bright, and leah, a wood clearing or meadow. Shirley was an English place name and surname long before it was a first name, and in its early days it was given to boys. Shirl appears in United States birth records from the nineteen-teens and peaked around the late nineteen-thirties, always as a rarity of only a couple dozen boys a year.

The boyhood of a Shirl fell just before Shirley Temple made the longer name overwhelmingly female, so Shirl reads today as a relic of the era when Shirley could still go to a son. It never revived and remains firmly of its moment.

Did you know? Shirley started life as a boys' name and a surname; Shirl rode that older masculine usage before Shirley Temple swung the full name firmly toward girls.
Overall data confidence 55%
References - Shirl β€” Short form of Shirley; Old English scir + leah; early masculine usage

Variations

ShirleyShirlSherrill

Nicknames

ShirlShirley

Famous Bearers

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If you like Shirl…

Shirleyβ€” the full name Shirl shortens
Shelbyβ€” a like place-name turned given name
Sherwoodβ€” another bright-woods English name
Sheldonβ€” an English place-name boy's name of the era

Explore names like Shirl

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Shirl mean?

It is a short form of Shirley, from the Old English for a bright wood clearing or meadow.

How do you pronounce Shirl?

It is said SHURL /ΚƒΙœΛrl/, one syllable, rhyming with pearl.

Is Shirl a boy or girl name?

This entry is the boy's use, from the era when Shirley was still given to sons.

Is Shirl a common name?

No. It was always rare, a short form given to just a couple dozen boys a year around its pre-war peak.

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