Fun Facts About the Name Shireen
- More than 1 thousand babies named Shireen: U.S. records list 1,355 babies given the name Shireen from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Shireen Mean?
Shireen is a Persian female name meaning "sweet." It comes from the Persian adjective shīrīn (شیرین), formed from shīr (شیر), "milk," plus the suffix -īn. The literal sense is roughly "milk-like," the word Persian uses for "sweet." Shīrīn is an ordinary Persian word as well as a personal name, so the meaning is a direct translation rather than a symbol assigned to the name later.
Because the word itself means "sweet," poets have often applied it to a beloved or beautiful figure. That is a literary use of the name's literal sense, not a separate meaning.
Shireen Name History & Origins
The name is pre-Islamic Persian. Its best-known early bearer is Shirin, the Christian wife of the Sasanian king Khosrow II, who ruled from 590 to 628. Syriac and later Arabic sources place her origins in Khuzestan, in the southwest of present-day Iran, and her story passed into Syriac Christian tradition and Islamic historiography. This queen is the earliest clearly documented figure associated with the name.
The name's literary fame rests on the romance Khosrow and Shirin by the poet Nizami Ganjavi, written around 1180. Nizami took the historical queen and older legends as his material, and his poem became a model for later retellings in Persian, Ottoman Turkish, and other languages. A related cycle of stories about the sculptor Farhad and his love for Shirin grew around the same figures. These works are famous treatments of a name and story that already existed; they are not its origin.
From Persian the name spread into neighboring languages. In Turkish it appears as Şirin, where şirin is also the everyday word for "sweet" or "cute," a borrowing from Persian. In Arabic it is written شيرين and is used as a given name in many Arab countries. In South Asia, Shireen and Shirin are used mainly by Muslim families, and Armenian communities use Շիրին. The English spelling Shireen represents the Persian and Arabic pronunciation.
Shireen is not related to the Arabic name Sīrīn (سيرين), which has a different origin despite the similar sound.
How Popular is the Name Shireen?
Shireen has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1991. Its best rank was #1,523 in 1951.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,005 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #14,972 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #14,908 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #15,045 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #14,998 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #10,157 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #9,721 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #8,232 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #8,806 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #12,847 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #12,907 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #14,384 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #13,302 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #8,561 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #11,137 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #11,351 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #9,414 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #8,942 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #14,292 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #7,783 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #15,487 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #6,353 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2001 | #5,785 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2000 | #7,521 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #5,874 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1998 | #5,769 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #5,593 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1996 | #4,861 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1995 | #3,865 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #4,669 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1993 | #4,368 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1992 | #3,950 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1991 | #2,927 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1990 | #3,428 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1989 | #3,037 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1988 | #3,469 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1987 | #2,965 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1986 | #3,540 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1985 | #3,320 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1984 | #3,055 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1983 | #3,533 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1982 | #4,314 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1981 | #3,418 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1980 | #4,290 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1979 | #3,758 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1978 | #3,491 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1977 | #3,161 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 1976 | #3,171 | 23 | 0.0016% |
| 1975 | #3,494 | 20 | 0.0014% |
| 1974 | #3,533 | 19 | 0.0013% |
| 1973 | #3,323 | 20 | 0.0014% |
| 1972 | #3,164 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1971 | #4,503 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1970 | #2,840 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1969 | #3,298 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1968 | #2,855 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1967 | #2,366 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1966 | #3,251 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1965 | #2,597 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1964 | #3,093 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1963 | #3,162 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1962 | #4,814 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #7,396 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1960 | #6,292 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #4,972 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #4,155 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1957 | #4,499 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #3,670 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1955 | #3,359 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1954 | #3,136 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1953 | #2,061 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1952 | #2,783 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1951 | #1,523 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 1950 | #3,034 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1949 | #5,180 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1948 | #3,843 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #2,140 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1946 | #5,606 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1943 | #5,283 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #5,281 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1938 | #4,917 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1923 | #5,609 | 5 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Shireen Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Shireen's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Shireen's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.