Shirley Family Tree research resources
Delve into the history of the Shirley Family Tree using the resources below. We hope you find these sites useful whilst you are researching your Family Tree !
 | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 2449 people with the Shirley surname? In that year Shirley was ranked number 1583 for popularity in the UK. |
Good news! There is already a One Name Study on the Shirley surname.
Shirley records on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out your Shirley family tree. Many large databases are available to search covering from births, deaths and marriages, military records, census records and immigration records with many other smaller collections too. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
| Country Collection | |
|---|---|
 |
Ancestry.com Global records search results for the Shirley family. |
 |
Ancestry.com US records search results for the Shirley family. |
|
Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for the Shirley family. |
 |
Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for the Shirley family. |
 |
Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for the Shirley family. |
A Moment of your Time Please...
In order to try and help fund this website, I've tried producing some music. Click the banner below to listen to my latest album on your favourite streaming service. If you like it, please consider adding your favourite songs to a playlist!
Historical References
"SHERLAW, SHEIRLAW, SHTRLAW, SHIRLEY. Of English origin, but as here shown the name has had a long sojourn in Scotland. There are places named Shirley in Derbyshire and in Warwickshire, from either of which the name may have come. Walter de Skirlawe and his men had a safe conduct in England for a year, 1370 (Bain, rv, 160). Nicol Schirlaw was 'maid commoun herde' of the burgh of Lanark, 1488 (Lanark, p. 1). Matho Scherlaw and Alexander Scherlaw, followers of the earl of Cassilis, were respited for murder in 1526 (RSS., i, 3386), and William Schirrilaw was one of those hanged in 1570 for holding Paisley against the king and his regent (Diur. Occ., p. 201). Walter Schirilaw was admitted guild orother of Glasgow, 1610 (Burgesses). Janet Sherrilaw is recorded in Corro-Mylne, parish of Lesmahago, 1873 (Lanark CR.), and David Skierlaw appears in Eyemouth, 1792 (Lander). "(The surnames of Scotland. George Fraser Black, 1866-1948)
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. If you are lucky then you may find some previously undiscovered Shirley ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Shirley Tree?
Visit our Shirley DNA page to find out more.
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for the Shirley Family History
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Shirley Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources listed below it will be possible to locate a birth record and, from that record, a birth certificate may be obtainable which is likely to list the names of the parents, therefore taking you back another generation. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Shirley family tree.
Explore Shirley Parish Records at Find My Past.
Explore the UK registered births, marriages and deaths for the Shirley family name using the FreeBMD database.
Explore Genealogy Bank for Shirley family records.
Check out MyHeritage for Shirley family data.
Investigate the LDS Database for records of the Shirley family.
Research the Shirley surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Shirley Military records.
| Did you know that there are currently 4000 people with the Shirley surname in the UK? Shirley is now ranked number 1443 for popularity in the UK. |
Shirley Genealogy Databases
Explore WikiTree for user contributed Shirley family records. Collaboration is encouraged so that accuracy of Shirley data can be verified or corrected by other users.
Look at MyTrees for information on the Shirley family and people looking to contact living Shirley relations.
Check out GENi for Shirley family records.
Find your Irish Shirley relatives on findmypast.ie
Shirley Forums
Research the Shirley surname using Genealogy.com forums .
| Did you know that there are currently 36459 people with the Shirley surname in the USA? Shirley is ranked number 145 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Shirley Databases
Explore the Ellis Island Database for information on the Shirley family. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Use the Surname Map project to look at the current distribution of the Shirley surname in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Romania.
Ask a Question
Looking for information on a Shirley in your family tree? Why not post a question here -