Message: "Re: Shirley" - Behind the Name

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Re: Shirley

by Janan (guest)

8/1/2020, 12:19 PM

Yes, it's a random surname that became wildly popular, probably because of Shirley Temple.

I think it should stay in the past. It has potential to come back to honour grandmothers of girls born today but I don't see it being a Top 10 name.

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- Amphelise (Chrisell) +2

8/1/2020, 2:28 PM

It was already wildly popular when Shirley Temple was named.

- Fiammetta (lady murasaki) +1

8/1/2020, 7:57 PM

Doesn't its popularity originate from Charlotte Bronte's " Shirley"? I believe it was a male name before that.

- Anneza

8/2/2020, 6:39 AM

Yes: in the book it's stated to be a male name that needs some explaining when used on a female! Conversely, in the later LM Montgomery "Anne" books, Anne and Gilbert's youngest son gets named Shirley, that being his mother's maiden name.

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