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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201965peak #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 1965

girls
#576
274 births · 1 in 6,442 girls
boys
#696
114 births · 1 in 16,317 boys

Top girls' names in 1965

  1. #1Lisa60,271
  2. #2Mary34,270
  3. #3Karen32,869
  4. #4Kimberly28,836
  5. #5Susan26,321
  6. #6Patricia23,552
  7. #7Donna19,700
  8. #8Linda19,345
  9. #9Cynthia19,239
  10. #10Angela18,754
  11. #576Shelby274

Top boys' names in 1965

  1. #1Michael80,992
  2. #2John71,493
  3. #3David67,825
  4. #4James67,666
  5. #5Robert63,106
  6. #6William40,111
  7. #7Mark38,244
  8. #8Richard36,817
  9. #9Thomas31,595
  10. #10Jeffrey29,574
  11. #696Shelby114
More about 1965

girls

1,765,164 girls got a published name in 1965; 1 in 6,442 of them was named Shelby, which outranked 92.4% of the 7,535 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shelby
  1. #572Frankie280
  2. #572Lesia280
  3. #575Lola278
  4. #576Shelby274
  5. #576Elsa274
  6. #576Verna274
  7. #579Bessie273
  8. #580Selena272
  9. #581Marcie271

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

Biggest movers since 1964
Risers
  1. 723Marni#1,610#887
  2. 654Dionne#1,281#627
  3. 432Marnie#1,016#584
  4. 426Keli#1,383#957
  5. 368Gia#1,334#966
Fallers
  1. 1,326Djuna#738#2,064
  2. 470Djuana#756#1,226
  3. 383Shirl#714#1,097
  4. 297Beverley#955#1,252
  5. 275Dottie#912#1,187

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

boys

1,860,143 boys got a published name in 1965; 1 in 16,317 of them was named Shelby, which outranked 84.3% of the 4,425 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shelby
  1. #692Jefferey116
  2. #692Kermit116
  3. #695Edwardo115
  4. #696Shelby114
  5. #697Anton113
  6. #697Carter113
  7. #697Chet113
Biggest movers since 1964
Risers
  1. 785Trace#1,655#870
  2. 729Darran#1,729#1,000
  3. 655Daryn#1,371#716
  4. 648Darian#1,545#897
  5. 512Darryn#1,327#815
Fallers
  1. 1,557Jaimie#809#2,366
  2. 443Tammy#875#1,318
  3. 406Destry#637#1,043
  4. 318Dewitt#936#1,254
  5. 303Cassius#860#1,163

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

See the top 100 for 1965