How Many Of Me
Open navigation menu

Worldwide Name Statistics

Shelley

Ranked #796 - 1 in 136,703 people
US

Most common in

United States

59k bearers

World total

58,521

estimated living bearers

Global rank

#796

worldwide

Country breakdown

United States59k
Worldwide
~59k
rank #796
Rarity
1 in 136,703
of people globally
Gender split
2/98
male / female %
Countries covered
1
~59k in US

About the name Shelley

There are an estimated 58,521 people named Shelley alive worldwide today. That ranks Shelley at #796 globally, with the highest concentrations in United States.

In the United States, Shelley is held by approximately 58,521 people, ranking #796 among first names. That works out to roughly 18 per 100,000 Americans (or 1 in 5,671 U.S. residents).

Historically Shelley is used overwhelmingly as a female name (97.6% female).

Shelley appears in birth records going back to 1880. Use the chart below to see how its popularity has changed across decades, and the surname section to find common pairings.

Gender distribution

Based on historical birth records, this name is used predominantly female.

Male 2.4%Female 97.6%

Shelley popularity by year

U.S. births per year for Shelley, 1892 to 2025 (source: SSA name files).

Show data table
  1. 1892: 6
  2. 1893: 8
  3. 1894: 5
  4. 1895: 7
  5. 1896: 5
  6. 1898: 10
  7. 1899: 9
  8. 1900: 9
  9. 1904: 8
  10. 1905: 6
  11. 1906: 9
  12. 1907: 6
  13. 1908: 6
  14. 1909: 14
  15. 1910: 10
  16. 1911: 9
  17. 1912: 12
  18. 1913: 12
  19. 1914: 15
  20. 1915: 37
  21. 1916: 20
  22. 1917: 21
  23. 1918: 24
  24. 1919: 26
  25. 1920: 32
  26. 1921: 29
  27. 1922: 43
  28. 1923: 23
  29. 1924: 22
  30. 1925: 22
  31. 1926: 25
  32. 1927: 37
  33. 1928: 39
  34. 1929: 25
  35. 1930: 34
  36. 1931: 44
  37. 1932: 43
  38. 1933: 39
  39. 1934: 55
  40. 1935: 58
  41. 1936: 66
  42. 1937: 70
  43. 1938: 53
  44. 1939: 73
  45. 1940: 82
  46. 1941: 72
  47. 1942: 119
  48. 1943: 133
  49. 1944: 156
  50. 1945: 199
  51. 1946: 222
  52. 1947: 249
  53. 1948: 431
  54. 1949: 1,046
  55. 1950: 1,702
  56. 1951: 1,891
  57. 1952: 1,921
  58. 1953: 1,978
  59. 1954: 2,206
  60. 1955: 1,764
  61. 1956: 1,706
  62. 1957: 1,749
  63. 1958: 1,750
  64. 1959: 1,867
  65. 1960: 2,154
  66. 1961: 2,182
  67. 1962: 2,501
  68. 1963: 2,750
  69. 1964: 2,845
  70. 1965: 2,547
  71. 1966: 2,570
  72. 1967: 2,529
  73. 1968: 2,503
  74. 1969: 2,508
  75. 1970: 2,379
  76. 1971: 2,303
  77. 1972: 2,415
  78. 1973: 2,293
  79. 1974: 2,017
  80. 1975: 1,571
  81. 1976: 1,295
  82. 1977: 1,119
  83. 1978: 1,046
  84. 1979: 1,081
  85. 1980: 1,147
  86. 1981: 922
  87. 1982: 859
  88. 1983: 783
  89. 1984: 713
  90. 1985: 578
  91. 1986: 571
  92. 1987: 507
  93. 1988: 432
  94. 1989: 386
  95. 1990: 304
  96. 1991: 262
  97. 1992: 266
  98. 1993: 223
  99. 1994: 162
  100. 1995: 165
  101. 1996: 112
  102. 1997: 105
  103. 1998: 104
  104. 1999: 85
  105. 2000: 69
  106. 2001: 65
  107. 2002: 39
  108. 2003: 42
  109. 2004: 42
  110. 2005: 38
  111. 2006: 40
  112. 2007: 35
  113. 2008: 36
  114. 2009: 30
  115. 2010: 28
  116. 2011: 26
  117. 2012: 17
  118. 2013: 16
  119. 2014: 21
  120. 2015: 13
  121. 2016: 17
  122. 2017: 12
  123. 2018: 12
  124. 2019: 12
  125. 2020: 15
  126. 2021: 11
  127. 2022: 7
  128. 2023: 9
  129. 2024: 11
  130. 2025: 13

Frequently asked questions

How many people are named Shelley worldwide?

There are an estimated 58,521 people named Shelley alive worldwide today, ranking #796 globally.

Is Shelley a rare name?

Worldwide that works out to about 1 in 136,703 people. In the United States there are roughly 58,521 bearers, which is 1 in 5,671 Americans.

Is Shelley a boy or girl name?

Based on historical birth records, Shelley is used 2.4% male and 97.6% female.

Where does the name Shelley come from?

Who are famous people named Shelley?

Data sources

Every figure on this page is cited. See the methodology page for the full picture.

Last updated:

Look up another name

Try a first name or "First Last".