Shelley
Meaning
from an English surname/place name meaning 'ledge clearing'
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Shelley peaked in the 1950s and the 1980s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
202 people · the #25,214 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 34
Among people named Shelley living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Shelley
Most people given the name Shelley in the United States were born between 1950 and 1979. The Shelley you meet today is most often in her 50s or 60s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Shelley deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Shelley truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Shelley fits with your family’s names and surname.
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