Shirley

Shirley is an English surname-turned-given name derived from an Old English place name meaning bright clearing or bright woodland, from the elements scir (bright or shire) and leah (woodland clearing). It was borne primarily by men until Charlotte Brontë popularized it as a feminine name through her 1849 novel Shirley, in which she gave the name to a female protagonist. The name gained widespread use in the twentieth century, particularly in the United States, partly through the fame of child actress Shirley Temple. Variants and related forms include Shirlee and Sherley.