Boys' name · since 1973
Shelden
Since 1973, U.S. Social Security records show 275 babies named Shelden, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #11,138 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 275
- born since 1973
- 1990s
- peak decade
275 boys have been named Shelden since 1973, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Shelden has 275 recorded births among boys since 1973, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1973 to 2018.
- #11,138 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 275 born since 1973
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shelden ranks #11,138 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 275 born since 1973, peaking in the 1990s.
- #11,138 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 275
- born since 1973
- 1990s
- peak decade
Shelden's 275 recorded births place it above 75.5% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Shelden's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Shelden's full recorded timeline at 2001, 47% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 53% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1973, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 18 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Shelden popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1973–2018
- Peak year (1998)
- 18
- Annual births at peak, across 46 years of records
Shelden popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 1997 (Shelden as girls' name)
Shelden by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (110 births, 40% of the file).
1990s was Shelden's strongest decade.
110 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.
Shelden births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 5
1970s
5 births
- 1980s 15
1980s
15 births
- 1990s
1990s
110 births
- 2000s
2000s
110 births
- 2010s 35
2010s
35 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 110 births (40% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shelden? ▼
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What to do with Shelden's data
- Shelden's decade-level peak was the 1990s (110 total births); usage has since declined to 35 in the 2010s -- 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 Shelden
Nearby Names Like Shelden
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shelden
Compare Shelden side by side: Shelden vs Sherman Shelden vs Sheldon Shelden 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 Shelden: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~45 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, 1973–2018 (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 Shelden 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.