Girls' name · since 1935
Shelah
Shelah has 510 recorded births since 1935 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1974 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #11,708 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 510
- born since 1935
- 1960s
- peak decade
Shelah sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 510 recorded since 1935.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shelah has been recorded 510 times among girls since 1935, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1935 to 2008.
- #11,708 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 510 born since 1935
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shelah ranks #11,708 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 510 born since 1935, peaking in the 1960s.
- #11,708 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 510
- born since 1935
- 1960s
- peak decade
Shelah's 510 recorded births place it above 83.81% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Shelah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Shelah's SSA record in two at 1969 and the more recent half accounts for 49% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 51%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1935, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1974 peak of 15, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Shelah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1935–2008
- Peak year (1974)
- 15
- Annual births at peak, across 74 years of records
Shelah by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (107 births, 21% of the file).
1960s was Shelah's strongest decade.
107 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Shelah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1940s
1940s
68 births
- 1950s
1950s
90 births
- 1960s
1960s
107 births
- 1970s
1970s
102 births
- 1980s
1980s
85 births
- 1990s
1990s
48 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 107 births (21% of all-time use).
How Shelah compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Shelah's total volume
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shelah? ▼
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When was Shelah most popular? ▼
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What to do with Shelah's data
- Shelah's decade-level peak was the 1960s (107 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2000s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shelah
Nearby Names Like Shelah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shelah
Compare Shelah side by side: Shelah vs Sheila Shelah vs Sherry Shelah vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shelah: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1974)
Similar record span (~73 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1935–2008 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Shelah draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.