Girl · #9,457 in 2026

Shelley

Shelley is a given name and surname. In many baby name books, Shelley is listed as meaning 'meadow's edge' or 'clearing on a bank'. It is Old English in origin. As with many other names, Shelley is today a name given almost exclusively to girls after historically being male. It is commonly used as a nickname for Michelle.

Current Rank
#9,457
Peak Rank
#126 (1964)
Total Babies
73K
5-Yr Trend
-31%
1892
First Year
2026
Last Year
1964
Peak Year
#126
Peak Rank
73K
Total Count
115
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Shelley

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Shelley is a given name and surname. In many baby name books, Shelley is listed as meaning 'meadow's edge' or 'clearing on a bank'. It is Old English in origin. As with many other names, Shelley is today a name given almost exclusively to girls after historically being male. It is commonly used as a nickname for Michelle.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Shelley

Shelley first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1892, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1964, when 2,821 Shelleys were born — ranking #143 that year. As of 2026, Shelley ranks #9,457 for baby girls with 8 births, falling sharply (-31%). In total, more than 73K Shelleys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Shelley

Phonetically similar names — useful when Shelley is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Shelley

What does the name Shelley mean?
Shelley is a given name and surname. In many baby name books, Shelley is listed as meaning 'meadow's edge' or 'clearing on a bank'. It is Old English in origin. As with many other names, Shelley is today a name given almost exclusively to girls after historically being male. It is commonly used as a nickname for Michelle.
How popular is Shelley in 2026?
In 2026, Shelley ranks #9,457 among girls' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.
When was Shelley most popular?
Shelley reached its peak popularity in 1964, ranking #126 that year with 2,821 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Shelley most popular?
Shelley has historically been most popular in Idaho, Oregon, Oklahoma. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Shelley.
Is Shelley a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Shelley is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Shelley?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Shelley include Delia, Essie, Olga. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Delia
Peak #126
👧
Essie
Peak #126
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Olga
Peak #126
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Tabitha
Peak #126
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Juliette
Peak #126
👧
Sandy
Peak #126
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Priscilla
Peak #127
👧
Alina
Peak #125

About the name Shelley

Shelley is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1892 and has accumulated 73K births in the dataset. Shelley's peak popularity came in 1964 when it ranked #126. Use the chart and map above to compare Shelley's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.