UK boy's name
Stirling
From Old English, literally "place of the stirrings/commotion".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Stirling is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Stirling popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2263, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 28 births.
This profile covers 289 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 36% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 287 living people in the UK are called Stirling. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Stirling ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 28 boys were registered as Stirling.
- • About 287 living people in the UK are estimated to have Stirling as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2263
2024
Births in 2024
10
Latest year
Peak year
2015
28 births
Estimated living
287
2026
Meaning
What does Stirling mean?
The name Stirling has its roots in the Old English language and is derived from the words "styrian" meaning "to stir" or "to move about," and "ling," a suffix denoting a person or thing. The name is believed to have originated in the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th century AD.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stirling can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is mentioned as a place name, referring to the town of Stirling in Scotland, which was likely named after an individual with the name Stirling.
In the 12th century, the name Stirling appears in historical records as a surname. The earliest known bearer of the name Stirling as a given name was Sir William Stirling, a Scottish knight who lived in the late 13th century and fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English.
Another notable figure with the name Stirling was Archibald Stirling, a Scottish mathematician and inventor who lived from 1694 to 1786. He is best known for his contribution to the development of the Stirling engine, a heat engine that operates by cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gases.
In the literary world, the name Stirling is associated with the Scottish writer Stirling Graham (1909-1986), who wrote several novels and short stories set in his native Scotland. His works often explored themes of rural life and the experiences of the working class.
Moving to the 20th century, Stirling Moss (1929-2020) was a renowned British racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1951 to 1961. He was considered one of the greatest drivers of his era and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
Another notable figure with the name Stirling was Stirling Silliphant (1918-1996), an American screenwriter and producer who wrote for several popular television series, including "Route 66" and "The Naked City." He won two Emmy Awards and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the film "In the Heat of the Night."
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Stirling over time
The chart below shows babies named Stirling registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Stirling, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 28 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Stirling by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Stirling was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1817 | 70 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1760 | 140 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2184 | 72 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2641 | 7 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Stirling
- Samuel 108,505
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Seth 9,841
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
FAQ
Stirling: questions and answers
How popular is the name Stirling in the UK right now?
In 2024, Stirling was ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.
When was Stirling most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 28 babies registered as Stirling in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Stirling?
From Old English, literally "place of the stirrings/commotion".
How many people are called Stirling in the UK?
A total of 289 babies have been registered as Stirling across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.