How common is the surname Shelly?

5,134 people in the United States had the surname Shelly in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 60,137 Americans. It ranked 6,598th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Shelly?

Adrienne Shelly, American actress (1966–2006).

Where is the surname Shelly most common?

Wikidata records people named Shelly in the United States.

Is the surname Shelly getting more or less common?

Less common. 5,422 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 5,134 in 2010, down 5.3%.

Is Shelly also a first name?

Yes. Shelly is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Shelly

A surname, carried by 5,134 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex S400 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Shelly is more common than 95.9% of them.

Origin

A surname from Old English, variant of Shelley.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 5,134 people named Shelly in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 60,137 Americans. That is down 5.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 5,422.

#6,598

rank among US surnames

5,134

people in 2010

1.7

per 100,000 Americans

-5.3%

change since 2000 (was #5,848)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#6,593	Benfield	5,138	60,091
#6,594	Peake	5,137	60,102
#6,595	Capone	5,135	60,126
#6,598	Delp	5,134	60,137

Who is named Shelly

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

79% of people named Shelly identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.8% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 79%
Black (not Hispanic) 14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.7%
Two or more races 1.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Shellys

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Adrienne Shelly
American actress (1966–2006)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Shelly

Shelly has the Soundex code S400, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S400.

Questions

How common is the surname Shelly?: 5,134 people in the United States had the surname Shelly in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 60,137 Americans. It ranked 6,598th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Shelly?: In the 2010 Census, 79% of people named Shelly identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Shelly?: Adrienne Shelly, American actress (1966–2006).
Where is the surname Shelly most common?: Wikidata records people named Shelly in the United States.
Is the surname Shelly getting more or less common?: Less common. 5,422 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 5,134 in 2010, down 5.3%.
Is Shelly also a first name?: Yes. Shelly is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.