Given name & surname
Stirling
“one who is highly valued”
Stirling is a variant of Sterling. One English interpretation is “one who is highly valued.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Stirling is a variant of Sterling. One English interpretation is “one who is highly valued.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Stirling is a variant of Sterling. An origin associated with Sterling is Middle English.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Probably from Middle Scots Stirveling, from Early Scots Strivelin, from Old Irish sreb.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Stirling is a variant of Sterling. The history of Sterling gives this family its wider story. Sterling’s naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Stirling through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 929
- 851 boys · 78 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 27 babies
- 2025
- 23
- #4,517 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −10%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 23 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,517 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 10.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 24 in 2015. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 743 as a first name in 2020; 2,795 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Stirling’s family of names
In English usage, Stirling shares an earlier linguistic root with Sterling. Stirling has a related form in Sterling.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Stirling
- Stirling MossBritish motor racing driver (1929-2020)
- Stirling SilliphantAmerican screenwriter (1918–1996)
- Stirling MortlockAustralian rugby union playerborn 1977
- Stirling ColgateAmerican physicist (1925–2013)
- Stirling FessendenAmerican lawyer (1875–1943)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Stirling, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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