Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1964

Shelly

Gender Girl · 3% boys Rank 2025 #5,884 Trend ↓ Falling 10%
Rank 2025
#5,884
among girls · ↓1,234 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
21
named Shelly · -30% vs 2024
How common
1 in 76,537
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1964
4,127 babies
All-time total
86,610
#425 all-time among girls
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Shelly popularity over time

86,610 babies have been named Shelly since 1882, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 20 20 2 – –
1890s – 54 54 5 +170% –
1900s – 50 50 5 -7% –
1910s 5 126 131 13 +162% #5,059
1920s 47 241 288 29 +120% #2,837
1930s 194 243 437 44 +52% #1,178
1940s 748 315 1,063 106 +143% #615
1950s 8,795 358 9,153 915 +761% #188
1960s 35,661 365 36,026 3,603 +294% #89
1970s 25,533 290 25,823 2,582 -28% #94
1980s 9,099 84 9,183 918 -64% #186
1990s 2,732 34 2,766 277 -70% #539
2000s 1,029 10 1,039 104 -62% #1,304
2010s 423 – 423 42 -59% #3,006
2020s (to 2025) 154 – 154 26 -39% #4,594

Where Shelly is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 21 0.01 outside top 500
2027 20 0.01 outside top 500
2028 20 0.01 outside top 500
2029 20 0.01 outside top 500
2030 19 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Shelly

Shelly is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #5,884 in 2025 with 21 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 86,610 American babies have been named Shelly. Its peak came in 1964, when 4,127 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Shelly stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Shelly?

The median living Shelly is about 56 years old; half are between 49 and 62. An estimated 79 thousand people named Shelly are alive in the United States today.

median 56 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Shelly year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 21 #5,884 – –
2024 30 #4,650 – –
2023 20 #6,130 – –
2022 28 #4,889 – –
2021 30 #4,594 – –
2020 25 #5,147 – –
2019 29 #4,758 – –
2018 29 #4,757 – –
2017 34 #4,296 – –
2016 36 #4,147 – –
2015 45 #3,522 – –
2014 50 #3,266 – –
2013 52 #3,161 – –
2012 52 #3,203 – –
2011 39 #3,904 – –
2010 57 #3,006 – –
2009 80 #2,419 – –
2008 69 #2,683 – –
2007 73 #2,566 5 #14,072
2006 89 #2,181 – –
2005 109 #1,799 – –
2004 100 #1,891 – –
2003 114 #1,685 – –
2002 123 #1,547 – –
2001 125 #1,505 5 #12,038
2000 147 #1,304 – –
1995 240 #821 – –
1990 413 #565 8 #6,327
1985 885 #282 6 #6,412
1980 1,451 #186 12 #3,583
1975 2,484 #113 27 #1,822
1970 3,751 #103 38 #1,370
1965 3,850 #98 44 #1,141
1960 2,692 #157 39 #1,267
1955 786 #306 20 #1,780
1950 333 #441 55 #932
1945 74 #880 36 #1,102
1940 36 #1,240 29 #1,273
1935 18 #1,904 27 #1,324
1930 6 #4,497 25 #1,490
1925 – – 22 #1,670
1920 – – 18 #1,953
1915 – – 15 #1,954
1910 – – – –
1905 – – 5 #1,404
1900 – – 8 #1,039
1895 – – 6 #1,066
1890 – – 5 #1,141
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Shelly

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Shelly Yachimovich Shelly Yachimovich Israeli politician b. 1960 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Shelly Manne Shelly Manne American jazz drummer (1920–1984) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Shelly, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Shelly?

The median living Shelly is about 56 years old. Half of all living Shellys are between 49 and 62 years old.

How many people named Shelly are alive today?

An estimated 79 thousand people named Shelly are alive in the United States, based on 86,610 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Shelly in 2025?

Shelly ranked #5,884 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 21 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Shelly?

86,610 babies have been named Shelly in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Shelly most popular?

Shelly peaked in 1964, when 4,127 newborns received the name.

Is Shelly a boy or girl name?

Shelly is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Shelly rising or falling?

Shelly is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Shelly become more popular?

Shelly is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 19 girls named Shelly in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Shelly?

Well-known people named Shelly include Shelly Yachimovich (politician), Shelly Manne (musician).

Names like Shelly

Names that sound and feel close to Shelly: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Shelly with similar names → More names starting with S →