Find out how popular the last name Shelley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shelley.

Shelley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Shelley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shelley in America

Shelley is the 2533rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shelley surname appeared 14,300 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Shelley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shelley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shelley

The surname Shelley is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words 'sciell' or 'scyll', meaning a shelter or shed, and 'leah', which refers to a woodland clearing or meadow. Thus, the surname likely referred to someone who lived in a dwelling or homestead located in a clearing or forest glade.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Seluelei' and 'Scelleslei'. These entries refer to places in Worcestershire and Essex, respectively, indicating that the name was already established in different parts of the country by the late 11th century.

During the 13th century, the surname appears in various records with spellings such as 'Shelleye', 'Scelley', and 'Schelley'. One notable early bearer of the name was John de Shelley, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

In the 14th century, the name continued to be well-represented in various regions of England. For instance, Robert de Shelley was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327, while John Shelley was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Shelley surname. Sir Philip Shelley (1563-1627) was an English nobleman who served as the High Sheriff of Sussex. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was a renowned English Romantic poet, acclaimed for works such as "Ozymandias" and "Ode to the West Wind".

Other notable Shelleys include Richard Shelley (1513-1587), a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851), the author of the iconic Gothic novel "Frankenstein". Sir John Shelley (1920-2021) was a British politician and peer who served as a Member of Parliament for over three decades.

The surname Shelley has endured through the centuries and continues to be well-represented in various parts of the English-speaking world, with its roots firmly grounded in the medieval English landscape and language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shelley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shelley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shelley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shelley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Shelley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shelley, please contact us.

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