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| Gender | Unisex |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old English |
| Word/name | Combination of scire or scīr and lēah |
| Meaning | transferred use of an English surname or place name |
| Region of origin | England |
| Other names | |
| Short form(s) | Shirl |
| Nickname(s) | Shelley, Shelly |
| Related names | Shurley, Shipley |
Shirley is a given name and a surname originating from the English place-name Shirley, which is derived from the Old English elements scire ("shire") or scīr ("bright, clear") and lēah ("wood, clearing, meadow, enclosure"). The name makes reference to the open space where the moot (an early English assembly of freemen which met to administer justice and discuss community issues) was held. The surname Shirley became established as a female given name in 1849 due to its use in Charlotte Brontë's novel Shirley, in which the character explains that her parents had intended the family surname for a son. It was further popularized in 1851–52 by its pseudonymous use by California Gold Rush writer Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe (Dame Shirley). It was eventually brought to its highest popularity, in the 1930s, by the fame of child star Shirley Temple.[1][2]
- ^ Leek, Nancy (July 29, 2019). "How Louise Clappe Became Shirley". Goldfields Books. Denison University. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 246-47. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.