Surname:Shirley

Likely to be originally derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" or "bright meadow" in Old English. It may come from when they lived in the parish of Shirley found in the counties of Derbyshire, Surrey Hampshire and the West Midlands.

The surname Shirley is a habitation name which forms a broad category of surnames that were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Spelling variations include: Shirley, Shurley, Sherley, Shirleigh and others as listed.

A Shirley family crest was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The Shirley Association is a group of families who carry the Shirley name and support a large research initiative that includes teams of professionals, DNA tracking initiatives, and extensive archives of data. A small donation enables access to these materials. Pedigrees are available to non-members for free.