NameChart

Shelley

Girl name

Shelley has been given to 74,339 babies in the U.S. since 1892. It peaked in 1964.

Meaning & origin /ˈʃɛli/

From Old English, meaning "clearing on a bank".

Origin: surnames

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

07051.411k2.116k2.821k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

74,339

Peak year

1964 (2,845 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1892

10-year trend

0%

Gender split

98% girls / 2% boys

Famous people named Shelley

Shelley Duvall

American actress (1949–2024)

Shelley Winters

American actress (1920–2006)

Shelley Long

American actress and comedian (born 1949)

Shelley Hennig

American actress and model (born 1987)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Shelley.

Get new name insights first

Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.