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Shelly

Shelly: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“from the ledge meadow”
Origin
English
Say it
SHEL-ee · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls (98% of all uses)

Used as a variant of Shelley, an English surname and place name from Old English elements referring to a ledge or bank and a clearing/meadow. It is also used as a pet form of Michelle in some cases.

English namesNames meaning natureNames meaning earthSurname-style namesModern names

How popular is Shelly?

20249.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Shelly in 202430

2024 rank#4,554 girls

Peak year1966

Total US babies since 188086,588

Shelly is fading: recent use is about 59% of its level ten years before.

Names like Shelly

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Shelleyclearing on a bank · Old English
  • Shelliemeadow on a ledge · English
  • Shellimeadow on a ledge · English
  • Oliviaolive tree · English
  • Evelyndesired; little bird · English
  • Harperharp player · English
  • Violetviolet flower · English
  • Hazelhazel tree · English

Shelly questions

What does the name Shelly mean?

Shelly means "from the ledge meadow". It comes from English. Used as a variant of Shelley, an English surname and place name from Old English elements referring to a ledge or bank and a clearing/meadow. It is also used as a pet form of Michelle in some cases.

Is Shelly a boy or girl name?

Shelly is mainly a girl's name in US records (98% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Shelly?

30 US babies were named Shelly in 2024. Its peak year was 1966.

How do you pronounce Shelly?

Shelly is usually pronounced SHEL-ee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.