Unisex name · since 1913
Shelby
Since 1913, U.S. Social Security records show 148,830 babies named Shelby, peaking in 1991. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #269 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #649 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 148,830
- born since 1913
- 1990s
- peak decade
148,830 babies have been named Shelby since 1913, making it today's #649 unisex name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shelby has been recorded 148,830 times among girls since 1913, currently ranked #649 nationally and more common than 96% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1913 to 2025.
- #269 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #649 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 148,830 born since 1913
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shelby ranks #269 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #649 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 148,830 born since 1913, peaking in the 1990s.
- #269 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #649 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 148,830
- born since 1913
- 1990s
- peak decade
Shelby's 148,830 recorded births place it above 99.62% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Shelby compares
148,830 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Shelby's all-time total is 396x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shelby | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 148,830 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 10,220 | 21 | 19,840 |
Shelby's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Shelby's SSA record in two at 1970 and the more recent half accounts for 88% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 12%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1913, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1991 peak of 10,220, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Shelby popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1913–2025
- Peak year (1991)
- 10,220
- Annual births at peak, across 113 years of records
Shelby popularity over time - boys
16,449 total births recorded since 1880 (Shelby as boys' name)
Shelby by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (71,995 births, 48% of the file).
1990s was Shelby's strongest decade.
71,995 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 48% of all-time use.
Shelby births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 46
1910s
46 births
- 1920s 95
1920s
95 births
- 1930s 6,077
1930s
6,077 births
- 1940s 4,895
1940s
4,895 births
- 1950s 3,075
1950s
3,075 births
- 1960s 3,267
1960s
3,267 births
- 1970s 5,970
1970s
5,970 births
- 1980s 7,881
1980s
7,881 births
- 1990s
1990s
71,995 births
- 2000s
2000s
31,310 births
- 2010s 11,216
2010s
11,216 births
- 2020s 3,003
2020s
3,003 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 71,995 births (48% of all-time use).
How Shelby 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 Shelby's total volume
Shelby by state
Where Shelby concentrates geographically, total births since 1913
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 13,480 | 9.1% |
| #2 | California | | 10,734 | 7.2% |
| #3 | Florida | | 6,793 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 6,377 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Tennessee | | 6,209 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 5,933 | 4.0% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 5,810 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 5,287 | 3.6% |
13,480 of 148,830 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Shelby appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shelby? ▼
Where does Shelby sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shelby most popular? ▼
Where is Shelby most popular? ▼
Is Shelby a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Shelby been used? ▼
What names are similar to Shelby? ▼
What to do with Shelby's data
- Shelby's decade-level peak was the 1990s (71,995 total births); usage has since declined to 3,003 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Shelbys (13,480 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 Shelby
Nearby Names Like Shelby
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shelby
Compare Shelby side by side: Shelby vs Sheila Shelby vs Sherry Shelby vs Shelly
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shelby
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shelby: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1991)
Similar record span (~112 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, 1913–2025 (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 Shelby 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.