How Many People Are Named Shelby?
people named Shelby are alive in the United States today (estimate)
About 1 in 2,279 people in the US has this name
Based on 165,279 babies named Shelby in Social Security records from 1880 to 2025, and the share of each birth year still alive in 2025.
Popularity Rank
⭐ Uncommon
Peak Year
10,744 births
Trend
Stable (last 10 years)
📖 Name Origin & Meaning
Meaning:
From a surname, which was possibly a variant of SELBY. Though previously in use as a rare masculine name, it was popularized as a feminine name by the main character in the movie 'The Woman in Red' (1935). It was later reinforced by the movie 'Steel Magnolias' (1989) in which Julia Roberts played a character by this name.
Source of the meaning, origin, pronunciation and related names: Behind the Name.
Related & Similar Names
⚧ Gender Distribution
Of the babies given the name Shelby, 92.8% were girls and 7.2% were boys. The share of girls among babies named Shelby rose from 0% in the 1880s to 91.9% in the 2020s.
👥 Age Distribution
The average person named Shelby alive today is about 32 years old, and 48% are under 30. Half of them were between 23 and 34 in 2025.
📈 Popularity Over Time
Shelby first appears in the records in 1880 and was given most often in 1991, to 10,744 babies. In 2025, 485 babies got the name.
Babies given the name each year, 1880 to 2025
🏆 Rank History
Shelby never made the top 10 girls' names. Its best rank was #33, in 1991, and it was in the top 100 for 14 years, 1990 to 2003. In 2025 it ranked #649.
| Girls | |
|---|---|
| Rank in 2025 | #649 |
| Best rank | #33 (1991) |
| Years in the top 100 | 14 (1990 to 2003) |
| Rank in its biggest decade | #44 in the 1990s |
📍 State-Wise Distribution
People named Shelby alive today, by the state where they were born (estimate; state records start in 1910).
More people named Shelby were born in Texas than in any other state: about 14,462 of those alive today. Compared with the national rate in the same years, Shelby was given 2.8 times as often in Kentucky, 2.2 times in Arkansas and 2.1 times in Mississippi.
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