Shelley

#7,885 for girls in 2025, 13 births · Last seen for boys in 2001 at #10,556
Given to girls 97.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1972 · 2,384 births
Debut · girls
6 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
72,586
since 1892

Shelley over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Shelley has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201961peak #126, 1972girls
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#7,88513
2024#8,94611
2023#10,3129
2022#12,2437
2021#8,97811
2020#7,21215
2019#8,59712
2018#8,61712
2017#8,77612
2016#6,90117
2015#8,44713
2014#5,99321
2013#7,37216
2012#7,14417
2011#5,20726
2010#4,97428
2009#4,80530
2008#4,26836
2007#4,29935
2006#3,79540
2005#3,80938
2004#3,49042
2003#3,41242
2002#3,46139
2001#2,54060#10,5565
2000#2,25869
1999#1,85785
1998#1,69094#5,84010
1997#1,530105
1996#1,466112
1995#1,131155#5,50110
1994#1,105162
1993#870223
1992#774266
1991#797257#8,2365
1990#705298#7,1786
1989#577380#6,9416
1988#519426#6,4266
1987#442502#6,9515
1986#400563#4,8538
1985#395569#4,3339
1984#329706#4,9737
1983#300777#5,4846
1982#288848#3,69211
1981#273912#3,85810
1980#2261,131#2,83116
1979#2431,065#2,77716
1978#2381,028#2,47318
1977#2261,104#2,79115
1976#1941,275#2,24520
1975#1701,547#1,94824
1974#1421,997#2,12920
1973#1282,258#1,43535
1972#1262,384#1,53531
1971#1402,274#1,63729
1970#1442,351#1,61528
1969#1352,479#1,49229
1968#1292,483#1,78820
1967#1412,510#1,80919
1966#1402,545#1,54025
1965#1482,528#1,80619
1964#1432,821#1,61524
1963#1482,734#2,04416
1962#1622,476#1,58825
1961#1802,141#1,23341
1960#1822,139#2,12115
1959#1911,848#1,86519
1958#1971,722#1,48328
1957#2001,722#1,51127
1956#1961,681#1,56825
1955#1921,738#1,50326
1954#1612,177#1,40829
1953#1681,937#1,15541
1952#1631,886#1,24535
1951#1661,845#1,05246
1950#1701,670#1,27232
1949#2331,017#1,34829
1948#391413#1,75818
1947#577219#1,33630
1946#570196#1,38226
1945#561171#1,24928
1944#638132#1,37024
1943#734111#1,48622
1942#76298#1,53721
1941#1,00653#1,58819
1940#90663#1,57319
1939#91859#1,87914
1938#1,21936#1,68917
1937#1,03547#1,40323
1936#1,05344#1,41722
1935#1,05543#1,83715
1934#1,23633#1,46122
1933#1,36428#2,21411
1932#1,52025#1,71618
1931#1,25833#2,32811
1930#2,20215#1,69319
1929#2,43713#2,31712
1928#2,38114#1,48025
1927#2,55213#1,56124
1926#3,04610#2,07415
1925#4,4266#2,01216
1924#4,4346#2,04316
1923#3,9717#2,02016
1922#3,6558#1,22235
1921#4,0237#1,64822
1920#2,89911#1,69421
1919#1,40826
1918#3,5128#1,99816
1917#4,0836#1,98615
1916#1,59420
1915#3,1348#1,21729
1914#3,6185#2,10110
1913#1,58012
1912#2,9795#2,0457
1911#1,1909
1910#1,04510
1909#2,2085#1,0209
1908#1,2176
1907#1,2006
1906#8529
1905#1,0916
1904#8748
1903
1902
1901
1900#9029
1899#7149
1898#1,7005#1,1215
1897
1896#1,1015
1895#8727
1894#1,0745
1893#7688
1892#1,2786
1891
1890
1889
1888
1887
1886
1885
1884
1883
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1892

The first year at least five girls were named Shelley! It came in at #1,278, and was given to 6 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1893–1914, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

See more about Shelley
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 1,061 spots since 2024 (#8,946#7,885)
  • 673 spots since 2020 (#7,212#7,885)
  • 562 spots since 2015 (#8,447#7,885)
  • Biggest jump: 301 spots in 1939 (#1,219#918)
  • Biggest drop: 235 spots in 1994 (#870#1,105)
Rise & fade · girls
80 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1892
  • Peaked 1972 at #126 (2,384 births)
  • Births halved by 1977, 5 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 54 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 54 yrs · run 1942–1993
Share of babies · girls
1 in 638
  • Highest: 1 in 638 girls born in 1972 were named Shelley (0.16%)
  • Latest: 1 in 123,636 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1960s
  • 34.2% of all girls named Shelley (24,856) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1890s11#1,278 (1892)#1,489
1900s5#2,208 (1909)#2,208
1910s32#2,979 (1912)#3,465
1920s95#2,381 (1928)#3,382
1930s363#918 (1939)#1,286
1940s2,473#233 (1949)#638
1950s18,226#161 (1954)#180
1960s24,856#129 (1968)#151
1970s17,283#126 (1972)#175
1980s6,814#226 (1980)#375
1990s1,757#705 (1990)#1,193
2000s431#2,258 (2000)#3,614
2010s174#4,974 (2010)#7,203
2020s66#7,212 (2020)#9,263

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.

Shelley in 1961

girls
#180
2,141 births · 1 in 943 girls
boys
#1,233
41 births · 1 in 51,810 boys

Top girls' names in 1961

  1. #1Mary47,682
  2. #2Lisa42,720
  3. #3Susan37,532
  4. #4Linda35,597
  5. #5Karen34,707
  6. #6Patricia28,889
  7. #7Donna28,679
  8. #8Cynthia24,393
  9. #9Sandra24,153
  10. #10Deborah24,107
  11. #180Shelley2,141

Top boys' names in 1961

  1. #1Michael86,974
  2. #2David84,810
  3. #3John79,983
  4. #4James75,969
  5. #5Robert72,977
  6. #6Mark57,796
  7. #7William48,045
  8. #8Richard41,142
  9. #9Thomas37,565
  10. #10Steven32,275
  11. #1,233Shelley41
More about 1961

girls

2,018,495 girls got a published name in 1961; 1 in 943 of them was named Shelley, which outranked 97.6% of the 7,527 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shelley
  1. #176Sara2,198
  2. #178Dianne2,173
  3. #179Marsha2,161
  4. #180Shelley2,141
  5. #181Rosemary2,133
  6. #182Crystal2,117
  7. #183Lois2,103
Biggest movers since 1960
Risers
  1. 997Corinna#1,811#814
  2. 789Sabra#1,637#848
  3. 745Velvet#1,286#541
  4. 601Johnna#1,043#442
  5. 600Damita#1,597#997
Fallers
  1. 317Sheena#980#1,297
  2. 253Lita#909#1,162
  3. 241Jannette#970#1,211
  4. 229Francisca#939#1,168
  5. 214Andra#822#1,036

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

boys

2,124,195 boys got a published name in 1961; 1 in 51,810 of them was named Shelley, which outranked 73.5% of the 4,657 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 29.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Shelley
  1. #1,222Kipp42
  2. #1,222Nate42
  3. #1,222Robyn42
  4. #1,233Shelley41
  5. #1,233Allyn41
  6. #1,233Amado41
  7. #1,233Arvin41
  8. #1,250Adolphus40
  9. #1,250Asa40
  10. #1,250Bartholomew40

Tied with 16 names at #1,233; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1960
Risers
  1. 3,171Parrish#4,038#867
  2. 589Brook#1,252#663
  3. 467Osvaldo#1,434#967
  4. 426Shayne#1,152#726
  5. 367Pernell#1,295#928
Fallers
  1. 425Wayde#672#1,097
  2. 380Yancy#923#1,303
  3. 301Jonas#905#1,206
  4. 264Tobin#833#1,097
  5. 253Keenan#748#1,001

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

See the top 100 for 1961