How Many People Are Named Shelva?
An estimated 460 people in the United States have the first name Shelva. It is predominantly female (98.8%). The average bearer is 77 years old, and Shelva peaked in popularity in 1937 with 194 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shelva 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 Shelva paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 77, Shelva is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1959.
Estimated Living Americans
460
About 1 in 745,118 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
98.8% confidence
Average Age
77
years old
Peak Year
1937
194 births
Total Registered
1,131
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shelva
Shelva is predominantly female (98.8%), though 14 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Shelva as a male name
Ranked #3,938 in 1941
5 male births in 1941
Peak: 1936 (9 births)
Shelva as a female name
Ranked #11,853 in 1980
5 female births in 1980
Peak: 1937 (194 births)
Shelva: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shelva span from the 1930s to the 1980s, covering 6 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 555 babies were registered. Shelva has declined significantly from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Shelva by Decade
How has Shelva 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.
Shelva by State
Birth registrations for Shelva span all 14 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia. The lowest are in South Carolina, New York, Missouri. On average, about 43 Shelvas were registered per state.
Shelva + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shelva as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shelva
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shelva: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shelva?
We estimate approximately 460 people named Shelva 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 745,118 Americans share this first name.
Is Shelva a common name?
Shelva is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 83.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 1,131 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shelva most popular?
Shelva reached peak popularity in 1937, when 194 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shelva is approximately 77 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Shelva a female name?
Shelva is predominantly female. 98.8% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Shelva Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shelva Smith, Shelva Johnson, Shelva 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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