Is Shirl a boy or girl name?

Shirl is a unisex name. Of the 1,771 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 74.7% were girls and 25.3% were boys. It changed hands in 1950, and has gone mainly to girls since.

Name Legacy

Shirl

Recorded 1915–1983 · United States

Shirl was most popular in 1964, when 216 American babies were given the name — ranking #1,213 that year. It was not recorded in 2025. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 1,771 people named Shirl.

Shirl over time

Births per year. The dot marks Shirl’s peak in 1964. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Shirl a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Shirl is a unisex name — 74.7% of the 1,771 Americans given it were girls and 25.3% were boys. It changed hands: since 1950 it has gone mainly to girls, having gone mainly to boys before that.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Shirl

Where Shirl is most concentrated

How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.

Pennsylvania 3.2×

Explore further

See Shirl on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org