Shelby has been given to about 165,279 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1991, which makes it a Gen X and millennial name.
Shelby ranks 649th among American girls in 2025, with 485 born that year. Its best year was 1991, when 10,744 babies were given the name, ranking 33rd. The typical living American called Shelby is about 31 years old today. It is relatively most common in West Virginia, where it accounts for 0.09% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.