How Many People Are Named Shelton?
An estimated 8,730 people in the United States have the first name Shelton. It is predominantly male (98.6%). The average bearer is 48 years old, and Shelton peaked in popularity in 1972 with 185 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shelton 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 Shelton paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Shelton is overwhelmingly male, 172 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
8,730
About 1 in 39,262 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
98.6% confidence
Average Age
48
years old
Peak Year
1972
185 births
Total Registered
12,122
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shelton
Shelton is predominantly male (98.6%), though 172 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Shelton as a male name
Ranked #5,195 in 2024
19 male births in 2024
Peak: 1972 (179 births)
Shelton as a female name
Ranked #18,875 in 2013
5 female births in 2013
Peak: 1997 (9 births)
Shelton: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shelton span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 1,534 babies were registered. Shelton has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Shelton by Decade
How has Shelton 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.
Shelton by State
Birth registrations for Shelton span all 24 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas. The lowest are in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas. On average, about 322 Sheltons were registered per state.
Shelton + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shelton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shelton
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shelton: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shelton?
We estimate approximately 8,730 people named Shelton 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 39,262 Americans share this first name.
Is Shelton a common name?
Shelton is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 97.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 12,122 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shelton most popular?
Shelton reached peak popularity in 1972, when 185 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shelton is approximately 48 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Shelton a male name?
Shelton is predominantly male. 98.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Shelton Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shelton Smith, Shelton Johnson, Shelton 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.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me