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

Shelvy, 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 Shelvy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shelvy in America

Shelvy is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shelvy surname appeared 103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shelvy.

The history of the last name Shelvy

The surname Shelvy has its origins in the English language and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Lincolnshire, where it was derived from the Old English word "scylfe," which means a shelf or ledge. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived near a prominent shelf or ledge in the landscape.

Records from the late 13th and early 14th centuries show variations of the spelling, such as "Shelvey," "Shelfey," and "Shelveye." These early spellings further support the theory that the name is derived from the Old English word for a shelf or ledge. The earliest known record of the surname Shelvy dates back to 1327, when a John Shelvy was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Lincolnshire.

During the Middle Ages, the Shelvy name appeared in several historical documents, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 13th century and the Court Rolls of Cambridgeshire from the 14th century. This suggests that the Shelvy family had established itself in various parts of England by that time.

One notable figure with the surname Shelvy was Sir William Shelvy, who lived in the 15th century and was a prominent landowner in Lincolnshire. He was mentioned in the Inquisitions Post Mortem of 1472, which recorded the transfer of his estate after his death.

In the 16th century, another prominent individual with the Shelvy surname was Thomas Shelvy, who was born in 1542 in Nottinghamshire. He was a successful merchant and landowner, and his name appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham.

During the 17th century, the Shelvy name was also found in Yorkshire, where a family by the name of Shelvy resided in the village of Shelvy, near Beverley. This place name likely derived from the same Old English root as the surname itself, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the geographical features of the region.

Another notable Shelvy was Robert Shelvy, who was born in 1612 in Lincolnshire and served as a captain in the Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War. He fought in several battles, including the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, and his exploits were recorded in contemporary accounts of the conflict.

In the 18th century, the Shelvy surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in counties such as Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. One individual of note was Elizabeth Shelvy, who was born in 1725 in Derbyshire and became a renowned author and poet, publishing several works during her lifetime.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shelvy

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

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 Shelvy 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.

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 Shelvy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!