Girls' name · since 1961
Shelbi
5,496 babies named Shelbi in U.S. Social Security records since 1961, with the highest year being 1992. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2,419 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,989 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,496
- born since 1961
- 1990s
- peak decade
Shelbi currently ranks #7989 among girls' names in America, with 5,496 babies recorded since 1961.
Social Security Administration records show Shelbi recorded 5,496 times among girls since 1961, holding rank #7989 nationally today, ahead of 54% of girls, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1961 to 2025.
- #2,419 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #7,989 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 5,496 born since 1961
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shelbi ranks #2,419 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,989 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 5,496 born since 1961, peaking in the 1990s.
- #2,419 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,989 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,496
- born since 1961
- 1990s
- peak decade
Shelbi's 5,496 recorded births place it above 96.65% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Shelbi compares
5,496 Top 13% higher than 87% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Shelbi's all-time total is 15x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shelbi | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,496 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 515 | 21 | 19,840 |
Shelbi's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shelbi splits its recorded history at 1994: 58% of all births land in the more recent half, 42% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1962 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1992 peak of 515 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shelbi popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1961–2025
- Peak year (1992)
- 515
- Annual births at peak, across 65 years of records
Shelbi by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (3,435 births, 63% of the file).
1990s was Shelbi's strongest decade.
3,435 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 63% of all-time use.
Shelbi births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 57
1960s
57 births
- 1970s 222
1970s
222 births
- 1980s 359
1980s
359 births
- 1990s
1990s
3,435 births
- 2000s 1,080
2000s
1,080 births
- 2010s 292
2010s
292 births
- 2020s 51
2020s
51 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 3,435 births (63% of all-time use).
How Shelbi 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 Shelbi's total volume
Shelbi by state
Where Shelbi concentrates geographically, total births since 1961
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 787 | 14.3% |
| #2 | California | | 330 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Louisiana | | 250 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Indiana | | 206 | 3.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 196 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Florida | | 192 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Oklahoma | | 169 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 153 | 2.8% |
787 of 5,496 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Shelbi appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shelbi? ▼
Where does Shelbi sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shelbi most popular? ▼
Where is Shelbi most popular? ▼
How long has the name Shelbi been used? ▼
What names are similar to Shelbi? ▼
What to do with Shelbi's data
- Shelbi's decade-level peak was the 1990s (3,435 total births); usage has since declined to 51 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Shelbis (787 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shelbi
Nearby Names Like Shelbi
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shelbi
Compare Shelbi side by side: Shelbi vs Sheila Shelbi vs Sherry Shelbi vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shelbi
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shelbi: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1992)
Similar record span (~64 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, 1961–2025 (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 Shelbi 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.