first name
SHELLEY
of 53,615 first names recorded in the 2020 Census
Of the 64,253 people named Shelley, 87.5% reported their origin as White, 5% as Black and 2.7% as two or more races. 98.9% are female. These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.
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Shelley peaked in 1964, when 2,845 babies got the name.
At least 74,339 babies have been given the name since 1892. Years SSA withheld, because fewer than 5 were born, are skipped rather than drawn as zero. * 2025 is the newest year published and it undercounts: a card application is filed some time after a birth.
Shelley by decade
Among all names given to American babies, its best decade was the 1960s, when it ranked #284. The largest share of babies named Shelley, 44.3%, were born during the baby boom (1946–1964).
Rank counts both sexes together, among every name SSA recorded that decade; the number under it is births. The 2020s run only to 2025. Generation years follow Pew Research Center, which has not named a generation after 2012.
Where Shelley is most common
Compared with all babies born in each state since 1910, Shelley has been most common in Montana (2.3×), Oregon (2.2×), and Washington (2×), and least common in Nevada (0.43×).
69,993 births recorded by state, 1910–2025. 2× means twice as common as nationally. States with fewer than 30 such births are left blank, and SSA withholds any year with fewer than 5 in a state, so small states read low.
Either side of Shelley
Spelled almost the same
8 first names in the 2020 Census spelled within a letter or two of Shelley, most common first.
Also a last name
As a last name, Shelley ranks #2,577 of 156,621, with 13,694 people. See Shelley as a last name
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🔎 SHELLEY 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜ 1 in 4,701 Americans Rarer than 66.2% of us Peaked in 1964 with 2,845 babies Beat that 👇 https://howrareismy.name/first/shelley/