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Shirleen

♀ Girl

Pronounced shur-LEEN /ʃərˈliːn/High

Meaning: Shirleen extends Shirley with the fashionable -een ending, keeping Shirley's meaning: from Old English scir, 'bright,' and leah, 'meadow, clearing,' so 'bright meadow.' It is a mid-century embellishment of a hugely popular name.Medium

In 30 seconds: Shirleen dresses up Shirley — English for 'bright meadow' — with an -een ending (said 'shur-LEEN'). It peaked in 1948.

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Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningShirleen extends Shirley with the fashionable -een ending, keeping Shirley's meaning: from Old English scir, 'bright,' and leah, 'meadow, clearing,' so 'bright meadow.' It is a mid-century embellishment of a hugely popular name.

U.S. rank (2006)#14922 ↗ Rising

2006 U.S. births7 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1948

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,790

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

Shirleen is a lengthened form of Shirley, from Old English scir, 'bright,' and leah, 'meadow' — 'bright clearing.' Shirley, once a boys' surname-name, became a girls' sensation in the Shirley Temple years, and -een elaborations like Shirleen multiplied in its wake.

Shirleen was most common in the nineteen-forties and had faded by the two-thousands. A girl named Shirleen at the peak is in her mid-seventies today, a grandmother-era name. It shares Shirley's dated feel and has not been part of any revival.

Did you know? Shirleen rode the coattails of the Shirley Temple era: as Shirley soared, parents spun off elaborations like Shirleen and Sharleen to keep the sound while standing a little apart.

Overall data confidence 60%

References — Shirleen — elaboration of Shirley; Old English 'bright meadow'

Variations

ShirleneSharleenShirley

Nicknames

ShirlLeena

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Shirleen…

Shirley— the parent name Shirleen elaborates, same 'bright meadow' meaning

Charlene— a same-era -ene/-een girls' name

Darlene— a like mid-century -lene name

Marlene— another -lene name of the same generation and sound

Explore names like Shirleen

By themevintage mid-century feminine-form

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Shirleen mean?

Shirleen is an elaboration of Shirley, from the Old English for 'bright meadow.'

How do you pronounce Shirleen?

It's said shur-LEEN /ʃərˈliːn/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Shirleen a boy or girl name?

Shirleen is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Shirleen?

Shirleen was an uncommon mid-century elaboration of Shirley that peaked in the nineteen-forties and is rare today.