How Many People Are Named Shelby?
An estimated 146,533 people in the United States have the first name Shelby. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #363 overall. It is used for both genders, with 90.0% female. The average bearer is 33 years old, and Shelby peaked in popularity in 1991 with 10,744 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shelby as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Shelby paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Shelby has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
- Shelby has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
146,533
About 1 in 2,339 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
90.0% confidence
Average Age
33
years old
Peak Year
1991
10,744 births
Total Registered
164,786
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shelby
Shelby is predominantly female (90.0%), though 16,404 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Shelby as a male name
Ranked #2,655 in 2024
50 male births in 2024
Peak: 1991 (524 births)
Shelby as a female name
Ranked #656 in 2024
445 female births in 2024
Peak: 1991 (10,220 births)
Shelby: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shelby span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 75,265 babies were registered. Shelby has declined significantly from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Shelby by Decade
How has Shelby tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 115 | 115 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 144 | 144 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 193 | 193 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 838 | 792 | 46 | |
| 1920s | 1,320 | 1,225 | 95 | |
| 1930s | 7,547 | 1,470 | 6,077 | |
| 1940s | 6,536 | 1,641 | 4,895 | |
| 1950s | 4,457 | 1,382 | 3,075 | |
| 1960s | 4,643 | 1,375 | 3,268 | |
| 1970s | 7,716 | 1,745 | 5,971 | |
| 1980s | 9,493 | 1,613 | 7,880 | |
| 1990s | 75,265 | 3,271 | 71,994 | |
| 2000s | 32,144 | 835 | 31,309 | |
| 2010s | 11,595 | 380 | 11,215 | |
| 2020s | 2,780 | 223 | 2,557 | |
Shelby by State
Birth registrations for Shelby span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Florida. The lowest are in District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Vermont. On average, about 3,086 Shelbys were registered per state.
Shelby + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shelby as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shelby
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shelby: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shelby?
We estimate approximately 146,533 people named Shelby are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,339 Americans share this first name.
Is Shelby a common name?
Shelby is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 164,786 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shelby most popular?
Shelby reached peak popularity in 1991, when 10,744 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shelby is approximately 33 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Shelby a female name?
Shelby is predominantly female. 90.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Shelby Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shelby Smith, Shelby Johnson, Shelby Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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