Shirley
[ˈʃɜːrli]Meaning
from an English surname derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing"
Background Story
Shirley comes from an English surname, itself derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing", from Old English scir "bright" and leah "woodland, clearing". It is the name of a main character in Charlotte Brontë's semi-autobiographical novel Shirley (1849). The child actress Shirley Temple gave the name a further boost, and by 1935 it was the second most common name for girls.
Variations
Shirly, Shirlee
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