Shelley Name Popularity

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How popular is Shelley?

In 2018 the rare name Shelley, ranked the 9,010th Most Popular Girls Name in the United States.

This once, top 1000 name, Shelley is currently less popular.

Position 126, its highest popularity RANKING, was reached in 1972.

But, the greatest number of babies were given the name in 1964 with 2,820 occurrences.

The least amount of newborns dubbed Shelley in any given year was less than 5, most recently in 1919.

Shelley, decisively moved upwards in popularity around the years 1928-1931, 1932-1935, 1936-1954, and 1959-1963, whereas clearly downward trends happened around 1974-1978, 1979-2002, and 2008-2012.

Sometimes the name Shelley has been more popular as a girls name and sometimes it has been more popular as a boys.

The popularity trend for Shelley has been spiralling downward for a while. In recent years, continuing the trend, the number of babies given the name Shelley has dropped.

What does the future hold for the popularity of Shelley?

Shelley's popularity is at an extremely low point when measured against its most notable year.

The name Shelley is mostly unused and will probably continue to drift downward in popularity.

Relative to what it once was, Shelley has fallen out of favor as a given name.

*Mouse over the charts or scroll down to the table for data details.

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for Percentages.

		Shelley (Girl)		Shelley (Boy)
Year	%	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank
2018		12	9,010	< 5	--
2017		11	9,816	< 5	--
2016		17	7,174	< 5	--
2015		13	8,855	< 5	--
2014		21	6,173	< 5	--
2013		16	7,684	< 5	--
2012		17	7,407	< 5	--
2011		26	5,331	< 5	--
2010		28	5,083	< 5	--
2009		30	4,913	< 5	--
2008		36	4,340	< 5	--
2007		35	4,368	< 5	--
2006		40	3,842	< 5	--
2005		38	3,862	< 5	--
2004		42	3,559	< 5	--
2003		42	3,457	< 5	--
2002		39	3,519	< 5	--
2001		60	2,564	5	12,032
2000		69	2,274	< 5	--
1999		85	1,872	< 5	--
1998		94	1,704	10	6,223
1997		105	1,549	< 5	--
1996		112	1,477	< 5	--
1995		155	1,137	10	5,843
1994		162	1,112	< 5	--
1993		223	872	< 5	--
1992		266	776	< 5	--
1991		257	798	5	9,412
1990		298	706	6	7,961
1989		380	578	6	7,764
1988		426	520	6	7,113
1987		502	442	5	7,956
1986		563	400	8	5,256
1985		570	395	9	4,640
1984		706	330	7	5,485
1983		777	300	6	6,107
1982		848	288	11	3,911
1981		912	272	10	4,102
1980		1,131	226	16	2,938
1979		1,065	243	16	2,879
1978		1,029	238	18	2,554
1977		1,104	226	15	2,888
1976		1,275	194	20	2,316
1975		1,547	171	24	1,991
1974		1,997	142	20	2,188
1973		2,259	127	35	1,457
1972		2,384	126	31	1,558
1971		2,273	140	29	1,663
1970		2,352	144	29	1,609
1969		2,479	135	28	1,561
1968		2,483	129	20	1,824
1967		2,509	142	19	1,844
1966		2,547	140	25	1,572
1965		2,528	148	19	1,850
1964		2,820	143	24	1,654
1963		2,734	148	16	2,104
1962		2,475	162	25	1,618
1961		2,143	180	41	1,248
1960		2,139	182	15	2,194
1959		1,850	191	19	1,907
1958		1,720	197	28	1,509
1957		1,721	200	27	1,542
1956		1,680	196	25	1,600
1955		1,736	192	26	1,533
1954		2,176	161	29	1,429
1953		1,939	168	40	1,186
1952		1,886	164	35	1,268
1951		1,845	166	46	1,065
1950		1,671	170	32	1,285
1949		1,017	233	29	1,372
1948		413	391	18	1,808
1947		219	579	30	1,357
1946		196	571	26	1,405
1945		171	562	28	1,265
1944		132	643	24	1,395
1943		111	734	22	1,523
1942		99	762	21	1,584
1941		52	1,016	19	1,631
1940		63	911	19	1,618
1939		58	929	15	1,865
1938		36	1,227	16	1,802
1937		47	1,045	23	1,439
1936		44	1,060	22	1,455
1935		43	1,070	15	1,906
1934		33	1,258	22	1,492
1933		28	1,396	11	2,351
1932		25	1,564	18	1,771
1931		33	1,282	11	2,445
1930		15	2,289	19	1,744
1929		13	2,565	12	2,443
1928		14	2,485	25	1,515
1927		13	2,678	24	1,598
1926		10	3,241	15	2,172
1925		6	4,887	16	2,073
1924		6	4,971	16	2,121
1923		7	4,318	16	2,109
1922		8	3,963	35	1,239
1921		7	4,390	22	1,700
1920		11	3,069	21	1,738
1919		< 5	--	26	1,443
1918		8	3,809	16	2,062
1917		6	4,518	15	2,076
1916		< 5	--	20	1,638
1915		8	3,391	29	1,238
1914		5	4,116	10	2,249
1913		< 5	--	12	1,662
1912		5	3,367	7	2,238
1911		< 5	--	9	1,276
1910		< 5	--	10	1,106
1909		5	2,502	9	1,074
1908		< 5	--	6	1,354
1907		< 5	--	6	1,323
1906		< 5	--	9	914
1905		< 5	--	6	1,215
1904		< 5	--	8	953
1903		< 5	--	< 5	--
1902		< 5	--	< 5	--
1901		< 5	--	< 5	--
1900		< 5	--	9	962
1899		< 5	--	9	772
1898		5	1,935	5	1,272
1897		< 5	--	< 5	--
1896		< 5	--	5	1,248
1895		< 5	--	7	967
1894		< 5	--	5	1,215
1893		< 5	--	8	823
1892		6	1,428	< 5	--
1891		< 5	--	< 5	--
1890		< 5	--	< 5	--
1889		< 5	--	< 5	--
1888		< 5	--	< 5	--
1887		< 5	--	< 5	--
1886		< 5	--	< 5	--
1885		< 5	--	< 5	--
1884		< 5	--	< 5	--
1883		< 5	--	< 5	--
1882		< 5	--	< 5	--
1881		< 5	--	< 5	--
1880		< 5	--	< 5	--

United States name popularity data is provided by the Social Security Administration and is based on Social Security card applications.

Data for a given year is not made available until well into the next year.

Data reflects what was recorded and has not been edited for errors, so for example the gender associated with a name may be incorrect.

The more babies that are given a particular name, the higher the popularity ranking. If multiple names have the same usage, the tie is broken by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. Therefore in the case of names with fewer occurrences, names with the same number of occurrences may have vastly different rankings because they will be interranked alphabetically.

To safeguard privacy, the SSA does not include names with less than 5 occurrences.

Please note, we update the data each May when the SSA releases new figures. All data changes at that time, including previous years, which will change minutely based on new information.