Shirley Is A Man’s Name

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[@NameExplain]

Go follow this hot mess on Instagram! instagram.com/nameexplainyt/

[@fussyboy2000]

Live and Let Die > Goldfinger

[@vlish4121]

Alright!

[@susanvaughan4210]

My uncle's name was Shirley. His nickname was "CY" (pronounced "sigh"). His son (my cousin) was named Carol. Carol had two daughters. They are named Carolee and Shirley.

[@veggiet2009]

That's a cool family tree!

[@allthatsheiz]

Oh wow !

[@timberlinx]

Ironically, the actor from the scene "Don't call me Shirley" is Leslie Nielsen, another boys name that became a girls name.

[@kenaikuskokwim9694]

In our old city neighborhood there were four young Leslies, born in the 1990s or early 2000s. All four were from Mexican families. There was a character named Leslie in a Mexican telenovela, but she came along after the fad had started. Anybody know why Leslie was so popular in Mexico?

[@jlhabitan50]

Leslie Moonves.

[@dj1NM3]

...and pretty much right up until "Flying High!", Leslie Nielsen usually played serious action-hero type characters.

[@pennyforyourthots]

So having a girl named Shirley is a bit like having A Boy Named Sue?

[@randyyy2609]

Sadly, Sue as a boys name didn't take off as much...

[@Prosper_Dean]

@@randyyy2609 my mom has a handsome corgi named sue lmao

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

I'd say it's more like the name Toni

[@kenaikuskokwim9694]

There was a real boy named Sue. Shel Silverstein wrote the song after meeting lawyer Sue K Hicks. Hicks was named for his mother who died shortly after his birth, and claimed nobody ever gave him trouble over it. You'd have to be pretty heartless to do so once you knew his story.

[@EmelyPhan]

Anne (from Anne of Green Gables) has Shirley as a last name.

[@christopherhuang9501]

And, as I understand it, a son named Shirley in one of the later books.

[@elfsemail]

I once dated a guy with the last name Shirley. His mother's birth name was Shirley. So when she married, she took her husband's last name and became Shirley Shirley!

[@emills6525]

Man that's an amazing head of hair

[@New_Wave_Nancy]

I think that every time I watch one of his videos.

[@dyrcosis]

When you mentioned what a happy family the Bronte sisters came from, I nearly choked on my drink with laughter. Nicely done!

[@AlifNurfakhri]

RIP Leslie Nielsen

[@johnzengerle7576]

Shirley Povich was a famous male sports writer in the US.

[@kenaikuskokwim9694]

Father of tabloid-TV reporter Maury Povich. Shirley was born in rural Maine, where the name still hung on as a boy's. Columnist Jay Nordlinger wrote of knowing an old male Shirley who complained that the name was fine "until that damned Shirley Temple came along". Nordlinger didn't identify his Shirley, but considering both were based in Washington journalism, it very likely was Povich.

[@kdan928]

Jon bois

[@eddiejc1]

The press box at Nationals Park is named in his honor.

[@eddiejc1]

@@kenaikuskokwim9694 Speaking of Washington sports journalism, I can't prove it but I strongly suspect Shirley Povich's more famous son Maury "YOU'RE THE FATHER!!!!" Povich was named after Maurie Siegel, a sportwriter for The Washington Star and later The Washington Times.

[@jonathanmitchell2040]

Germanic does not mean German. It means it comes from the ancestor of the Germanic languages, which includes English (as well as German, Dutch, and The Scandinavian languages). So Shirley is a Germanic name because it came from Old English, a Germanic language.

[@dmjones42]

Thank you! That was bugging me too

[@dennyzavada407]

I love the clip from "Airplane!".

[@HerculeYakko]

My wife is native Chinese. She adopted Shirley as her English name. I tease her all the time about having an old lady name. I think that line from Airplane! is what killed the name Shirley. If you look at the name trends, it took a huge nosedive in the early 1980s right after the movie came out.

[@nickimontie]

I love how seeing the outside makes you so happy! I moved my home office from the basement to the dining room specifically so I could see out the window. The positive effects of daylight can't be overestimated!!

[@darreljones8645]

I'm stunned nobody has yet mentioned the popular 1970's sitcom Laverne & Shirley.

[@ourladyofdarkness2622]

Aussie 70's rock band Skyhooks had a lead singer nicknamed Shirey. They were a pretty big deal in Aus

[@CatsEyethePsycho]

Homer Simpson T-shirt, respect.

[@JediSimpson]

That’s Mr. Sparkle.

[@JL-ti3us]

Isn’t Skyrim Grandma also a Shirley?

[@artangel420]

Yes

[@kailomonkey]

My mum gets misnamed Shirley all the time. She's actually a Sheila.

[@schnuder]

I have a cousin named Shirley who was born in the early 50s. Her parents would have been young children during the era of the Shirley Temple films and had many peers named Shirley, so it makes sense to why they and others of similar age chose a famous and popular name from their childhoods when naming their own children, keeping Shirley popular for several decades.

[@dj1NM3]

The most famous "Shirley" I can think of was Shirley Strawn, the singer from the Australian glam-rock band "Skyhooks". The sarcasm about the Bronte sisters being happy people was barely detectable, because they certainly made a lot of highschool English students unhappy.

[@nomdeplume5446]

My grandma was named Shirley and she was born in 1928.

[@realshaho3180]

Shirley is my mom’s name, and one of her cousins is also named Shirley.

[@ericvulgate]

'my son is also named "bort" '

[@kohakuaiko]

So a girl named Shirley was originally like a girl named James.

[@pennyforyourthots]

Wait, the Name means Sunny Meadow? I can't possibly the English then, it's always pissing rain there

[@88marome]

What do you know about English?

[@nathan._.h]

the video starts at 1:30 for those that dont care about this guys instagram

[@hart-of-gold]

Best bond theme is "The World is Not Enough" by Garbage but "Goldfinger" is an awessome song too. Also the lead singer of Garbage is another Shirley.

[@roeesi-personal]

I know I'm late to the party (What can I do when I have a list of hundreds of videos that I want to watch) but in Israel the name Shirley (or more accurately its Hebrew version שירלי) is also somewhat popular, but has a completely different etymology - it's composed of the word שיר (shir) that means song and לי (li) that means to me, or mine, so the name means "my song".

[@cheyennehacker4246]

I knew a man named Shanon once, but never met any boy Shirley's.

[@tforceraven]

MySims was one of my favourite games. I used to play it every day.

[@watchyourlanguage3870]

My great-grandfather was a man named Shirley born in 1899

[@rowynnecrowley1689]

I work for a call center, and as a result, I've seen some really bizarre names. For example, there was Mrs. Bacon, whose daughter married a man named Burger. And sometimes I'll see a name so odd, I'll think, "That sounds like a made-up name," then it hits me. All names are made up. All WORDS are made up.

[@evelynsobel9373]

I used to know a Shirley in high school; we gave her the nickname of Shurlur

[@gavinparks5386]

The English parish of Shirley , gave us Shirley poppies.

[@9dehucey2df366]

Shirley here. Indeed, we are few and far between. respect.

[@diamondsam]

The airplane reference in the thumbnail, nice and also the start

[@BRUXXUS]

I always think it’s fun how British/English say “called” “name” while in the US we say “named” “name”

[@QH96]

I live in a English Town called Shirley

[@rowynnecrowley1689]

My uncle's wife name was Shirley, and sometimes he'd go into a store with her credit card (it was the 80s, so you never had to show ID) and just say it was his card, cuz he knew they'd never question a man named Shirley.

[@StormiidaeBlogspot]

You're completely correct about Shirley Bassey.

[@elizabethgundrum2619]

Almost all surname derived names started as boy's names. Some of them became more common for girls eventually to the point some of them are considered strictly girls' names. You don't see many Madisons or Beverleys and very few Ashleys, Courtneys or Whitneys that are male. Taylor and Riley seem to be headed that way. Maybe on another hundred years there will be a bunch of girls named Mason, Carter or Tyler (all profession based surnames co-opted as boy's names).

[@ThomasAllen90]

You know I cant fly from Australia to fight you over that right now!

[@aquos350]

My Grandmother's name is Shirley and I had a great aunt Shirley.

[@allies7184]

So is Beverely, Stacy, Tracy, Carol, and Evelyn.

[@Illumisepoolist]

I do remember Shirley Temple from the Double 00s from when I was a kid. So how did the name decline?

[@professorrosenstock5026]

I guess because its viewed as an old lady's name.

[@jocabulous]

from the 0000s

[@matthewdrummond1340]

Did not see that coming 😲 Thanks Patrick

[@bjarnemcdonald6333]

In Denmark 2 babies were named Shirly after 1968. One in 1988 and one in 2008 - both girls.

[@indecisive.325]

There's a lot of names out there that used to be men's names but became names for women. I wonder if there are any names out there that were for women but became common for men

[@nomdeplume5446]

I used to work with a guy named Kelly. Also Leslie Nielsen was a man, but it’s not like either of those are common for men.

[@AshArAis]

@@nomdeplume5446 Les is a well known enough name for a guy (Les Dennis, Les Dawson etc) but seems to be the previous generation of the ones I know

[@allenbooth5193]

@@nomdeplume5446 I used to be in Boy Scouts with a boy named Kelly and his brother Stacy. Also, the father of a friend of mine was named Kelley.

[@allenbooth5193]

@@nomdeplume5446 Also, Don Knotts' real name was Leslie. Andy Griffith used to tease him about it on the set of "The Andy Griffith Show".

[@kohakuaiko]

Douglas was a girl's name in the Elizabethan era.

[@Novusod]

Shirley has always been a Man's name. Never heard of a woman named Shirley except for Shirley Temple. More common names that flipped from male to female: Courtney - from the French means "short nose." Ashley - for the old English meaning "forest dweller" Originally male both of these names flipped within the last 100 and are now intrinsically female.

[@vlish4121]

Really? I didn't even know that was a name lol

[@TheRCvie]

Australian singer Shirley Strachan from Skyhooks

[@DukeDukeGo]

The one comment about how they have 2 uncles named Robert made me think about that I have 2 uncles named Thomas, and then the letter T came up. Well the next video was decided to be Theodore

[@dracone4370]

Does this mean Shirley is technically a unisex name? I get the feeling unisex names haven't been addressed on this channel yet, and they probably should be. Unisex names are odd, they can be used by either gender with little hassle, but at the same time, I get the feeling a lot of people are confused or misinformed when it comes to unisex names. For example, Sam and Alex are thought of as unisex names because they are shortened versions of both the male and female variants of the names they are shortened versions of, but at the same time, a name like Ted is stereotyped as a boy's name when it can serve as a unisex name, the same holds true with the name Pat. I suppose a video on unisex names is going on the list of videos Patrick will need to do, if it isn't on the list as well. Also, Patrick should start looking to some webcomics for name examples moving forward, I mentioned Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures before. There's also El Goonish Shive, which has one of its main characters named Tedd, who has a father regretting giving his son a gender-neutral name because of how androgynous Tedd is (also shenanigans that literally having Tedd swap genders infrequently because comics). And in the webcomic Girl Genius, the main protagonist is named Agatha. Actually, maybe Patrick should do a video on the difference between unisex and gender-neutral names as either a follow-up to the video on unisex names or just fold all the stuff for a video on unisex names into a video on the differences between unisex and gender-neutral names. Also, names that don't quite sound like names might also need to be addressed at some point. In Okami-san and Her Seven companions, which is a light novel series that got turned into a 12-episode anime, one of the main characters has the name List.

[@AshArAis]

There are females called Pat: Pat Butcher in eastenders would be a well known character. Less often than male Pat but not out of the ordinary

[@dracone4370]

@@AshArAis From what I've heard, Pat is commonly used as a nickname of Patricia but from what I can recall Pat is usually associated with guys and often used as a nickname for more male-associated names with names like Patrick. Amusingly, Patty has also been used a nickname for both, but the term Patty also has a history of being a derogatory slur for someone from Ireland.

[@christopherhuang9501]

I've read mystery stories hinging on the misconception regarding "Evelyn" or "Vivian". (Although, technically "Vivian" is a boys' name; for a girl, it should be Vivien with an E or Vivienne. I tell people that if I had twins, a boy and a girl, they would be named Vivian and Vivien.)

[@adrianortega1935]

Shirley Strachan from the Skyhooks!

[@arthurmacedo50]

Shirley is a pretty popular female name here in Brazil!

[@captainGrammar1]

What a brave corporate logo! I accept the challenge of Mr. Sparkle.

[@ellermg]

Me, a non native English speaker: girl or boy name? nah, just sounds like "surely"

[@Shirley_Bauce]

Nowadays the name is used for both men and women, so it can be considered a neutral name

[@MaineCoonMama18]

My name is Courtney, which was also originally a male name. It's more common as a female name now, but some men have it too.

[@windykingdom6153]

*Shirley* you jest Haha punz

[@allenbooth5193]

I'm serious. And don't call me Shirley.

[@windykingdom6153]

@@allenbooth5193 *S h i r l e y*

[@rslitman]

Two famous U.S. actresses born in the 1930s were named for Shirley Temple, Shirley Jones, famous for "The Partridge Family", where her character was also named Shirley, and Shirley MacLaine. The name Shirley was very popular among immigrant Jewish families in the 1920s-1940s, possibly because it had such an English sound to it and probably also inspired by Shirley Temple. Someone else already mentioned the male sportswriter Shirley Povich (father of Maury of talk show fame). He was born to an immigrant Jewish family in the 1st decade of the 1900s in the U.S. state of Maine. I saw once that he got this name because it was a popular boys name in Maine at the time.

[@stephenreardon2698]

Shirley, a Birmingham area commuter suburb. Can see how it may have started as a meadow by the ancient forest of Arden.

[@veggiet2009]

What? No mention of "The Name Game?" 🎶 Shirley Shirley Bo Birley, Banana Fans ... 🎶

[@kirbycobain1845]

mysims is surprisingly fun to play as an adult but its a bit of a grind. it might just be my autistic brain though

[@jerrytuerke6950]

Sweet fish bulb shirt

[@Ggdivhjkjl]

Plenty of male names have been stolen by girls, e.g. Leslie, Jesse, Shiloh, Alison and various names ending in "-son". They almost never return to being male names as female name are rarely kind to sons.

[@lordnul1708]

In the case of Jesse though, I often see people use the variant ending in -ie instead of just an e to signify a more feminine version of the name, though that may or may not have just been those specific people.

[@gavinparks5386]

@@lordnul1708 Jessie is the pet form of Janet , in Scotland.

[@milic5749]

Alison was always a girl's name. It doesn't come from any surname ending in -son; it's a diminutive of Alice that's been in use for centuries. There's a female character in one of the Canterbury Tales named Alison.

[@christopherhuang9501]

@@lordnul1708 Jessie is short for Jessica, though; I don't think it's related to Jesse at all, or a variant thereof. It's just people getting confused because they have similar spellings, like Carol (girl's name meaning "song") vs Karol or Carroll (boy's name, variant of "Charles", meaning "manly").

[@eddiejc1]

Did Name Explain do a video on "Ariel"? I believe that was (and in Israel still is) a predominently male name until Disney released "The Little Mermaid" in 1989.

[@JenniferinIllinois]

Goooooldfingerrrrrrr. :) Yep, totally agree with you. Best Bond theme ever!!!!

[@ronmaximilian6953]

There are so many name puns in this movie. But if I start quoting them, I may end up in a Turkish prison

[@3lli0]

Could you please do the name Elliott?

[@modmaker7617]

Then the most famous person with that name be, Elliot Rodger; KZbinr turned murderer.

[@3lli0]

@@modmaker7617 well thanks 😂

[@vineshgujral686]

Iirc there's a consistent pattern where male names become women's names but never the reverse.

[@bigcrowfly]

Shirley Feeney from Laverne and Shirley.

[@juaniev7990]

Me reading the title: Shirley not

[@threadsofsaffron]

as a trans guy whose deadname was Shirley, this was immensely conflicting to watch LMAO

[@martinbarr-david8173]

Graeme "Shirley" Strachan of Skyhooks fame.

[@Tricolorrr533]

Surely

[@XVX..]

The Spy Who Loved Me by Alan Partridge is the best Bond song.

[@vickibamman8333]

In the book, the father was going to call his child Shirley if it was a girl or a boy. Reminds me of Stiller and Mara - they joked that if they had a boy, they would name him Aaron and if it was a girl, they would name her Erin. They pronounced the names the same way.

[@jerrytuerke6950]

Yay I can hear this one

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

Makes me wonder if the name Riley will become exclusively feminine thanks to the movie _Inside Out_ .

[@Max_Flashheart]

So is Meadow the winner of the other meadow name battle royal?

[@shirleynitka5030]

I am a Shirley who did know that it was a last name, man's name but not why it became a girls name. Thanks for explaining that. Don't forget the Kimberleys, Dales, Terry's, Lynn's & many other male names that went female & why. Thanks. btw- one family name from family in Ireland pre 1700's who had the last name of Lynn. Humm??

[@MsAdlerHolmes]

Okay but what about Diamonds Are Forever...

[@95Joper]

I know a site where you can see the meaning of names, even how popular it is: behindthenames

[@MBP1918]

Oh no it can’t be

[@musicallydisneyamvs6731]

Wasn’t Anna once a male name too? Idk if you already did a vid on this but if not, that would be a cool video.

[@murduck8798]

Je m'appelle poopooo

[@unclecrusty9]

What about Beverly?

[@AZAZ-qb3io]

Have to point out Live and Let Die.

[@williamsachak5216]

topic for you: POKEMON SWORD AND SHIELD! Since, of course, is based around the English Isles!

[@X9Z17]

I think if it was spelt Sherley, it would appear more masculine, like how Jessie seems feminine yet Jesse seems more suited for blokes. Just my 42 cents!

[@wendychavez5348]

I've known a couple of Shirleys here and there. Always female, and I can't remember a specific one offhand. It's a nice name, if I could have children I'd consider it, but that's not gonna happen.

[@abgeordnete]

One of the greatest movies of all time!

[@AshArAis]

As with a lot of things, male names migrate to unisex and female names, but it tends not to go the other way. Like with guys and lads being deemed gender neutral group names, but not girls or hunzos ;) Names that were male/unisex drifting to female, anyone? Trying to think of as many as I can. Lesley, Ashley, Francis/Frances are male/female counterparts, Lindsay (Lindsay Graham being a male one).

[@gavinparks5386]

Lindsay is a Scottish clan and a common enough surname in Scotland.

[@DutchJoan]

As for names with a T, I've got a sister called Tarita. Except for the actrice and 3rd wife of Marlon Brando my sister is named after I don't know anybody else who is called that way. I like how names evolve and cross gender lines. Too bad that gender neutral names in Dutch are dying out.

[@anfrankogezamartincic1161]

ICE T's real name is Tracy, how macho is this?!

[@jocabulous]

my name is not shirley, and i do not know anyone named shirley

[@SJ9001]

I am exciting. And don't call me Kieth.

[@snowman2163]

Србија 2

[@gunjfur8633]

"its not from germanic root" English IS a germanic language so...