Total births
84,420
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.
- #4580
- among girls today
- 84,420
- born since 1916
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Shelly is the #4580 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 #4580 as of the latest data, more common than 74% 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.
- #4580 among girls today
- 84,420 born since 1916
- 1960s peak decade
- 74% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Shelly is currently the #4580 girls' name in America, more common than 74% of girls - 84,420 born since 1916, peaking in the 1960s.
- #4580
- among girls today
- 84,420
- born since 1916
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other girls
Shelly vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#4580
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 74% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
42% of everyone ever named Shelly was born in this single decade.
1964
Single peak year
4,080 babies were named Shelly in 1964 - its busiest year on record.
How Shelly compares
84,420 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 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 221x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shelly | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 84,420 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,080 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1964
Current rank
#4,580
Active since
1916
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
California share of Shelly's total US births 10.8%
Even split
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? ▼
Since 1916, Social Security records show 84,420 babies named Shelly. Today it holds rank #4580 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1964, with 4,080 births.
When was Shelly most popular? ▼
Shelly was most popular in the 1960s decade with 35,661 total births. The single peak year was 1964.
Where is Shelly most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Shelly are California (9,097 births), Texas (5,939 births), Michigan (5,167 births).
How long has the name Shelly been used? ▼
Records for Shelly go back to 1916, giving 110 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Shelly? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sheila, Sherry, Shelby, Sherri, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Sheila Girl
#2013 238,774 births
Sherry Girl
#6948 229,937 births
Shelby Girl
#658 148,830 births
Sherri Girl
#8493 83,667 births
Sheryl Girl
#5322 78,826 births
Compare Shelly side by side: Shelly vs Sheila Shelly vs Sherry Shelly vs Shelby
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shelly
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Shelly: #4580 Girls' Name - 84,420 Births, Peak 1964." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/shelly. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.