Shelby

#649 for girls in 2025, 444 births · #2,991 for boys in 2025, 41 births
Given to girls 90.0% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1991 · 10,220 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
14 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
148,830
since 1913

Shelby over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201940peak #33, 1991peak #385, 1938girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#649444#2,99141
2024#657446#2,59551
2023#656448#2,66049
2022#595503#3,00341
2021#549556#3,29735
2020#501606#2,58649
2019#495634#3,71629
2018#424738#3,70829
2017#373836#3,31234
2016#337986#2,99339
2015#2991,080#3,43132
2014#2941,114#3,15435
2013#2591,239#2,56247
2012#2201,447#2,63246
2011#2171,462#2,69944
2010#1841,680#2,63246
2009#1671,935#2,70245
2008#1582,148#1,89976
2007#1492,351#1,92873
2006#1332,620#1,89371
2005#1172,839#1,86968
2004#1122,988#1,53087
2003#943,537#1,63077
2002#753,961#1,258108
2001#684,370#1,298101
2000#704,561#1,087129
1999#625,018#884171
1998#495,893#878165
1997#436,701#751199
1996#357,950#589305
1995#387,632#555335
1994#407,546#536362
1993#378,122#512403
1992#349,396#473453
1991#3310,220#427524
1990#1003,517#525354
1989#2291,203#692205
1988#284881#691184
1987#273899#685176
1986#276900#691172
1985#281885#661177
1984#2421,042#715148
1983#351642#682157
1982#479435#788125
1981#424512#750135
1980#443482#758134
1979#469428#722144
1978#418483#647168
1977#382553#614187
1976#365575#617176
1975#308746#576195
1974#300798#587184
1973#328678#605171
1972#318754#605173
1971#393555#607188
1970#499400#647159
1969#547326#592173
1968#537319#634143
1967#549293#655129
1966#540304#599156
1965#576274#696114
1964#556317#713117
1963#505371#671136
1962#502370#709117
1961#494386#676131
1960#559307#619159
1959#516357#667131
1958#489382#670128
1957#493367#675128
1956#506345#659132
1955#490344#599151
1954#504310#599153
1953#531262#644122
1952#574228#617132
1951#557232#532162
1950#517248#565143
1949#532241#553147
1948#500266#523160
1947#425369#558146
1946#383397#492171
1945#387333#488153
1944#364367#476161
1943#314491#448200
1942#279599#484160
1941#213826#455168
1940#1871,006#436176
1939#1701,164#393207
1938#1421,714#385214
1937#1191,997#385203
1936#1781,071#458151
1935#84067#525121
1934#1,91317#496133
1933#1,83518#530115
1932#1,87718#576106
1931#2,58111#562109
1930#569111
1929#2,92110#564110
1928#1,96119#62197
1927#2,85911#553124
1926#562120
1925#3,3629#543128
1924#4,0027#608110
1923#3,9717#550126
1922#3,15210#559128
1921#2,76212#534136
1920#3,09710#499146
1919#3,8177#501141
1918#4,8095#572113
1917#3,0929#532119
1916#2,83310#574100
1915#4,2745#60590
1914#3,6185#53684
1913#3,1875#75938
1912#58448
1911#54830
1910#52429
1909#50526
1908#42931
1907#69914
1906#40029
1905#54918
1904#68612
1903#50518
1902#68711
1901#53614
1900#53420
1899#45717
1898#41822
1897#55614
1896#55114
1895#50116
1894#54314
1893#61511
1892#44519
1891#8416
1890#60311
1889#58111
1888#50515
1887#46114
1886#6479
1885#60410
1884#46816
1883#6778
1882#51413
1881#53311
1880#6828
First appearance
1913

The first year at least five girls were named Shelby! It came in at #3,187, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1926, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.

See more about Shelby
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 8 spots since 2024 (#657#649)
  • 148 spots since 2020 (#501#649)
  • 350 spots since 2015 (#299#649)
  • Biggest jump: 1,073 spots in 1935 (#1,913#840)
  • Biggest drop: 75 spots in 1948 (#425#500)
Rise & fade · girls
78 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1913
  • Peaked 1991 at #33 (10,220 births)
  • Births halved by 1999, 8 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 14 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 14 yrs · run 1990–2003
  • Top 1,000: 91 yrs · run 1935–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 183
  • Highest: 1 in 183 girls born in 1991 were named Shelby (0.55%)
  • Latest: 1 in 3,620 girls born in 2025 (0.03%)
Era · girls
The 1990s
  • 48.4% of all girls named Shelby (71,995) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 1936
  • Mostly boys until 1935, mostly girls since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1910s46#2,833 (1916)#3,661
1920s95#1,961 (1928)#3,121
1930s6,077#119 (1937)#1,073
1940s4,895#187 (1940)#358
1950s3,075#489 (1958)#518
1960s3,267#494 (1961)#537
1970s5,970#300 (1974)#378
1980s7,881#229 (1989)#328
1990s71,995#33 (1991)#47
2000s31,310#68 (2001)#114
2010s11,216#184 (2010)#310
2020s3,003#501 (2020)#601

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Shelby in 1940

girls
#187
1,006 births · 1 in 1,137 girls
boys
#436
176 births · 1 in 6,586 boys

Top girls' names in 1940

  1. #1Mary56,216
  2. #2Barbara36,736
  3. #3Patricia32,665
  4. #4Judith22,385
  5. #5Betty22,077
  6. #6Carol21,759
  7. #7Nancy19,737
  8. #8Linda18,370
  9. #9Shirley17,881
  10. #10Sandra16,153
  11. #187Shelby1,006

Top boys' names in 1940

  1. #1James62,481
  2. #2Robert61,198
  3. #3John54,786
  4. #4William44,779
  5. #5Richard37,425
  6. #6Charles31,689
  7. #7David27,690
  8. #8Thomas23,991
  9. #9Donald23,115
  10. #10Ronald20,741
  11. #436Shelby176
More about 1940

girls

1,143,528 girls got a published name in 1940; 1 in 1,137 of them was named Shelby, which outranked 96.3% of the 5,028 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shelby
  1. #184Myrtle1,020
  2. #185Mae1,018
  3. #186Gertrude1,014
  4. #187Shelby1,006
  5. #188Velma986
  6. #189Jackie981
  7. #190Viola966
Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 2,494Scarlett#3,429#935
  2. 1,465Lonna#2,206#741
  3. 834Pam#1,797#963
  4. 659Jody#1,638#979
  5. 633Laraine#1,474#841
Fallers
  1. 481Fredia#996#1,477
  2. 430Eleanora#974#1,404
  3. 375Danielle#811#1,186
  4. 342Eloisa#930#1,272
  5. 298Coral#996#1,294

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,159,172 boys got a published name in 1940; 1 in 6,586 of them was named Shelby, which outranked 88.9% of the 3,937 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shelby
  1. #433Randy181
  2. #434Harrison178
  3. #435Jake177
  4. #436Shelby176
  5. #436Adolph176
  6. #436Van176
  7. #439Clair175
  8. #440Lavern174
  9. #440Rolland174

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 565Whitney#1,458#893
  2. 447Gonzalo#1,297#850
  3. 419Weston#1,323#904
  4. 368Ashley#1,272#904
  5. 366Agustin#1,238#872
Fallers
  1. 886Montie#916#1,802
  2. 446Verlon#888#1,334
  3. 394Issac#857#1,251
  4. 392Otho#942#1,334
  5. 384Pearl#867#1,251

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1940