Shelley
English place name and surname, from Old English scylf, a ledge or shelf of land, joined to leah, a woodland clearing.
Shelley in 2025
Shelley was given to 13 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 14,189th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 255,026 babies born.
The history of Shelley
Shelley reached its highest point in 1964, when 2,845 babies were given the name, ranking 265th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 242nd, in 1973.
Across the 134 years of records since 1892, 74,339 babies have been named Shelley. Half of them were born before 1965, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation X.
Shelley has switched sex over its history: it went mostly to boys in its early decades, and goes mostly to girls today.
Shelley by decade
| Decade | Babies named Shelley | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 50 | 1,816 |
| 1900s | 58 | 1,854 |
| 1910s | 186 | 2,130 |
| 1920s | 297 | 2,180 |
| 1930s | 535 | 1,467 |
| 1940s | 2,709 | 425 |
| 1950s | 18,534 | 299 |
| 1960s | 25,089 | 250 |
| 1970s | 17,519 | 242 |
| 1980s | 6,898 | 444 |
| 1990s | 1,788 | 1,259 |
| 2000s | 436 | 3,891 |
| 2010s | 174 | 8,604 |
| 2020s | 66 | 12,704 |
Where Shelley is heading
Shelley has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 13 babies in 2015 to 13 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1964 peak — Shelley is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Shelley
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Shelley.