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Shirlie

♀ Girl

Pronounced SHUR-lee /ˈʃɜr.li/High

Meaning: Shirlie is a respelling of Shirley, an English surname and place-name from Old English scir 'bright, shire' and leah 'clearing, wood, meadow' — 'bright clearing'. Once a boys' name, Shirley became overwhelmingly female after popular fiction and the young star Shirley Temple.Medium

In 30 seconds: Shirlie is a respelling of Shirley (said 'SHUR-lee'), from Old English 'bright clearing'. The -ie ending is a period touch.

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Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningShirlie is a respelling of Shirley, an English surname and place-name from Old English scir 'bright, shire' and leah 'clearing, wood, meadow' — 'bright clearing'. Once a boys' name, Shirley became overwhelmingly female after popular fiction and the young star Shirley Temple.

U.S. rank (1976)#9067 ↘ Falling

1976 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1935

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,288

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

Shirlie is a spelling variant of Shirley, an English surname and place-name from Old English scir, 'bright' (or 'shire'), and leah, 'clearing' or 'meadow' — 'bright clearing'. Shirley was originally a boys' name but turned decisively female in the twentieth century, propelled above all by the child star Shirley Temple. Variant spellings like Shirlie followed at the name's height.

Shirlie crested around 1935, at the peak of Shirley Temple's fame, and faded with the whole Shirley family in later decades. A girl named Shirlie then would belong to the grandmother-or-older generation. Shirley is the standard spelling; Shirlie reads as a period respelling of that moment and has not revived.

Did you know? Shirlie rode the Shirley Temple wave; the -ie spelling crested around 1935, when the child star was at her height.

Overall data confidence 65%

References — Shirlie / Shirley — variant of Shirley; Old English scir + leah 'bright clearing'

Variations

ShirleyShirleeShirl

Nicknames

ShirlShirlee

Famous Bearers

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If you like Shirlie…

Shirley— the standard spelling Shirlie varies

Sherry— a like soft vintage girl's name of the era

Beverly— another 1930s surname-style girl's name

Marlene— a fellow starlet-era feminine name of the period

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Shirlie mean?

Shirlie is a respelling of Shirley, from Old English elements meaning 'bright clearing' or 'bright meadow'.

How do you pronounce Shirlie?

It's said SHUR-lee /ˈʃɜr.li/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Shirlie a boy or girl name?

Shirlie is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Shirlie?

Shirlie was an uncommon spelling of Shirley, most visible in the nineteen-thirties and rare today.