Shirley

Meaning

Shirley began as an English place-name and surname, from Old English elements meaning a bright or clear clearing or meadow. As a given name, it is especially associated with the 19th-century surname tradition rather than with an old saint-name or classical meaning.

Origin

Fun fact

The excerpt links the name’s rise in fashion to Lady Fanny Shirley, showing how a prominent family name could help a surname become a fashionable first name.