Introducing a new recurring feature – WHAT’S IN A NAME? Twice a month check in to read about what your first name may mean. Twice a month we will feature a female and a male name and tell you a little about them. Have suggestions for what names you would like to read about? Just let us know.
While that which we call a rose would smell as sweet if it were not called a rose, how about a Shirley? Ever wonder what a name means or how it came about?
Take SHIRLEY for example. This name actually means bright meadow or clearing! Originally this name was a surname, not a first name at all! It originated as a surname for folks that were born in a particular part of England and then moved elsewhere. It was made from the Olde English elements “scir” meaning “bright, clear” or “country, shire” and “læch” which described an “open space, meadow”. Scirlæch would have been the Olde English rendering of one of several places, located in West Midlands, Derbyshire and Southampton (as well as a district in greater London).
The earliest documented use of Shirley was in 1249!
Another odd fact about Shirley is that when it became a first name it was a name given only to boys! It was not until Charolette Bronte’s 1849 novel Shirley which had a female protagonist with that name that Shirley became a girl’s name at all.
Shirley has been a popular girl’s name since 1880, consistently in the top 100 names given to baby girls. It reached peak popularity in the US in 1935 and 1936, when it was the second most popular name for a baby girl here.
Some famous Shirleys include Shirley McLain (well known actress and reincarnation enthusiast), Shirley Chisholm (politician and first black woman to run for the Presidency), Shirley Jones (a.k.a Mama Partridge), and, of course, Shirley Temple (child actress who later became the US representative to the United Nations).
While that which we call a rose would smell as sweet if it were not called a rose, how about a Robert? Ever wonder what a name means or how it came about?
Take ROBERT for example. This ancient German name was given to Kings! What does it mean? Bright Fame! It’s taken from the old German name Hrodebert. The name is made up of two elements: hrod which means “fame” and beraht which means “bright.” The name was introduced to the people of England by the Normans in the Middle Ages. It has been a very popular name for boys since the 13th century. It topped the list of top 10 popular boys names in the US from 1924 to 1939 and again in 1953. It was actually number 1 in 1925 and 1950!
There have been scores of famous Roberts, but here are just a few:
Robert the Bruce (King of Scotland)
Robert E. Lee (commander of the Confederate States of America’s army)
Robert MacNamara (former Secretary of Defense during portions of the Vietnam war)
Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Frost (writers)
And, of course, Robert Downey, Jr. (Ironman and DUI repeat offender).
