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Home › Baby Names Directory › Shirleyan

Shirleyan

♀ Girl

Pronounced SHIR-lee-an /ˈʃɜr.li.æn/Medium

Meaning: Shirleyan is an early-twentieth-century blend joining Shirley, an English surname and place name from Old English scir ('bright') and leah ('wood or clearing'), with the classic middle name Ann. The compound reads as 'Shirley plus Ann,' a common way of extending a fashionable name.Low

In 30 seconds: Shirleyan blends Shirley, an English name meaning bright clearing, with Ann. It rode Shirley's fame in the nineteen-thirties and forties (said SHIR-lee-an).
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Origin LowEnglish
MeaningShirleyan is an early-twentieth-century blend joining Shirley, an English surname and place name from Old English scir ('bright') and leah ('wood or clearing'), with the classic middle name Ann. The compound reads as 'Shirley plus Ann,' a common way of extending a fashionable name.
U.S. rank (1945)#2140 ↗ Rising
1945 U.S. births17 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1945
Total births (all-time)≈ 32

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 194519291945

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

Shirleyan is a blended name built on Shirley, from Old English words for a 'bright clearing,' softened with the familiar Ann. Shirley itself soared after child star Shirley Temple, and elaborated forms like this one let families join the trend while keeping something a little distinct.

It appeared chiefly in the nineteen-thirties and forties, given to about twenty girls a year at its high near the mid-forties before fading with Shirley itself. A girl named Shirleyan then is elderly today.

Did you know? Shirleyan's peak in the mid-nineteen-forties rides the enormous wave Shirley Temple set off, with parents personalizing the star-name by tacking on the tidy ending -ann.
Overall data confidence 40%
References - Shirleyan — Blend of Shirley (Old English 'bright clearing') and Ann; 1930s-40s Shirley Temple era

Variations

ShirleyShirlyannShirleen

Nicknames

ShirlShirleyAnnie

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Shirleyan…

Shirley— the star name Shirleyan extends
Carolann— a like blended -ann girl's name of the era
Maryann— shares the added Ann ending
Shirleen— a similar elaborated Shirley form

Explore names like Shirleyan

By themerareenglishvintageblend

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Shirleyan mean?

It blends Shirley, an English name meaning 'bright clearing,' with the name Ann.

How do you pronounce Shirleyan?

It is said SHIR-lee-an /ˈʃɜr.li.æn/, three syllables with the stress on the first.

Is Shirleyan a boy or girl name?

Shirleyan is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Shirleyan?

It was rare, given to only about twenty girls a year around the middle nineteen-forties, following the fame of Shirley.

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