Shire
Shire is a traditional Somali name.
Meaning & Origin of Shire
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Shire is a traditional Somali name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Shire
As a girl name
American parents first put Shire on the record books as a girl name in 1964, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1992, when 6 Shires were born — ranking #11,738 that year. About 31% of every Shire on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. Shire last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 32 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Shire first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 2022, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2022: 6 births, good for #10,860 nationwide. Shire last appeared in the published SSA data in 2022, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 6 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2020s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Shire
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shire is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shire
What does the name Shire mean?
How popular is Shire in 2026?
When was Shire most popular?
Is Shire a unisex name?
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About the name Shire
Shire is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1964 and has accumulated 32 births in the dataset. Shire's peak popularity came in 1992 when it ranked #11,738. Use the chart and map above to compare Shire's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1992 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.