Girls' name · since 1916
Shelly
Since 1916, U.S. Social Security records show 84,420 babies named Shelly, peaking in 1964. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #425 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5,757 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 84,420
- born since 1916
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Shelly is the #5757 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 84,420 recorded since 1916.
Shelly has 84,420 recorded births among girls since 1916, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5757 as of the latest data, more common than 67% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1916 to 2025.
- #425 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #5,757 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 84,420 born since 1916
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shelly ranks #425 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,757 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 84,420 born since 1916, peaking in the 1960s.
- #425 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5,757 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 84,420
- born since 1916
- 1960s
- peak decade
Shelly's 84,420 recorded births place it above 99.41% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Shelly compares
84,420 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Shelly's all-time total is 225x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shelly | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 84,420 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,080 | 21 | 19,840 |
Shelly's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shelly splits its recorded history at 1974: 30% of all births land in the more recent half, 70% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1916 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1964 peak of 4,080 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shelly popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1916–2025
- Peak year (1964)
- 4,080
- Annual births at peak, across 110 years of records
Shelly popularity over time - boys
2,190 total births recorded since 1882 (Shelly as boys' name)
Shelly by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (35,661 births, 42% of the file).
1960s was Shelly's strongest decade.
35,661 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Shelly births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 1920s 47
1920s
47 births
- 1930s 194
1930s
194 births
- 1940s 748
1940s
748 births
- 1950s 8,795
1950s
8,795 births
- 1960s
1960s
35,661 births
- 1970s
1970s
25,533 births
- 1980s 9,099
1980s
9,099 births
- 1990s 2,732
1990s
2,732 births
- 2000s 1,029
2000s
1,029 births
- 2010s 423
2010s
423 births
- 2020s 154
2020s
154 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 35,661 births (42% of all-time use).
How Shelly 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 Shelly's total volume
Shelly by state
Where Shelly concentrates geographically, total births since 1916
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 9,097 | 10.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 5,939 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 5,167 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 4,972 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 3,479 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 3,427 | 4.1% |
| #7 | New York | | 3,382 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 2,766 | 3.3% |
9,097 of 84,420 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Shelly appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shelly? ▼
Where does Shelly sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shelly most popular? ▼
Where is Shelly most popular? ▼
How long has the name Shelly been used? ▼
What names are similar to Shelly? ▼
What to do with Shelly's data
- Shelly's decade-level peak was the 1960s (35,661 total births); usage has since declined to 154 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Shellys (9,097 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shelly
Nearby Names Like Shelly
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shelly
Compare Shelly side by side: Shelly vs Sheila Shelly vs Sherry Shelly vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shelly
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shelly: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1964)
Similar record span (~109 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, 1916–2025 (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 Shelly 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.