Shelley (name)

Shelley
Pronunciation	/ˈʃɛli/
Gender	Unisex
Language(s)	English
Origin
Language(s)	English
Word/name	Shelley (various places)
Derivation	Old English: scylf + lēaf
Meaning	'clearing on a bank/shelf'
Region of origin	England
Other names
Variant form(s)	Shelly
Related names	Shirley, Michelle, Michel, Michele, Sheldon, Shelton, Rachelle, Rochelle, Shel

Shelley is a given name and surname. In many baby name books, Shelley is listed as meaning 'meadow's edge' or 'clearing on a bank'. It is Old English in origin. As with many other names (Courtney, Ashley, etc.), Shelley is today a name given almost exclusively to girls after historically being male. It is commonly used as a nickname for Michelle (and formerly as a variant of Shirley). Shelley is also a transferred surname used by those in Essex, Suffolk and Yorkshire, particularly in settlements where a wood/clearing was beside a ledge or hillside. Shelly is a common alternative spelling. It is featured in tile on the ceiling of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.^{[clarification needed]}

Notable people with the name include:

Surname

Adolphus Edward Shelley (1812–1854), the first Auditor-General in British Hong Kong
Alex Shelley (born 1983), stage name of American wrestler Patrick Martin
Alexander Shelley (born 1979), English conductor
Arthur Shelley (fl.1905), British footballer
Barbara Shelley (1932–2021), English actress
Bert Shelley (1899–1971), English footballer
Brian Shelley (born 1981), Irish footballer
Burke Shelley (1950-2022), Welsh musician, member of rock group Budgie
Sir Bysshe Shelley, 1st Baronet (1731–1815), grandfather of Percy Bysshe Shelley
Carla Shelley (born 1965), film producer
Carole Shelley (1939–2018), English actress
Cindy Shelley (born 1960), British actress
Danny Shelley (born 1990), English footballer
David Shelley (1957–2015), American blues rock musician
David Shelley (publisher) (born 1976), British book publisher
Deck Shelley (1906–1968), American football player
Duke Shelley (born 1996), American football player
Elbert Shelley (born 1964), American football player
Sir Frederic Shelley, 8th Baronet (1809–1869), cleric and landowner
George Shelley (singer) (born 1993), English singer, member of group Union J
George Ernest Shelley (1840–1910), English geologist and ornithologist
George M. Shelley (1849–1927), Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
Gerard Shelley (1891–1980), British linguist, author and translator
Gladys Shelley (1911–2003), American lyricist and composer
Harry Rowe Shelley (1858–1947), American composer
Howard Shelley (born 1950), British pianist and conductor
Hugh Shelley (1910–1978), American baseball player of the 1930s and 1940s
Jack Shelley (footballer) (1905–1979), Australian footballer
James Shelley (1884–1961), New Zealand university professor
Jaz Shelley (born 2000), Australian basketball player
Jeremy Shelley (born 1990), American football placekicker
Jim Shelley (disambiguation), multiple people
Jody Shelley (born 1976), Canadian ice hockey player
Joe Shelley (1892–1966), Australian footballer
John Shelley (disambiguation), multiple people
Joshua Shelley (1920–1990), American actor
Kate Shelley (1863–1912), Irish-born US railroad heroine
Kenneth Shelley (born 1951), American figure skater
Kevin Shelley (born 1955), American politician
Lee Shelley (born 1956), American fencer
Lilian Shelley (1892–c.1933), English music hall entertainer
Louise Shelley (born 1952), American university professor
Martha Shelley (born 1943), American writer
Mary Shelley (1797–1851), English writer, author of the novel Frankenstein
Mary Michael Shelley (born 1950), American folk artist
Michael Shelley (disambiguation), multiple people
Nancy Shelley (died 2010), Australian peace activist
Norman Shelley (1903–1980), English actor
Paul Shelley (born 1942), English actor
Paul Shelley (politician) (born 1959), Canadian politician
Percy Shelley (potter) (1860–1937), English potter
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), English poet, husband of Mary Shelley
Sir Percy Shelley, 3rd Baronet (1819–1889), son of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley
Pete Shelley (1955–2018), English musician, lead singer of Buzzcocks
Peter Shelley (1943–2023), British 1970s pop singer
Rachel Shelley (born 1969), English actress
Rebecca Shelley (1887–1984), American pacifist
Rex Shelley (1930–2009), Eurasian Singaporean author
Richard Shelley (died c.1586), English Catholic under Elizabeth I
Richard Shelley (grand prior) (c.1513–c.1589), English diplomat
Rick Shelley (1947–2001), American science fiction writer
Ronald G. Shelley (1932–2003), philatelist
Samuel Shelley (1750–1808), English miniaturist and water-colour painter
Sir Sidney Shelley, 8th Baronet (1880–1965), relative of Percy Bysshe Shelley
Steve Shelley (born 1962), American drummer, member of group Sonic Youth
Timothy Shelley (1753–1844), English politician, father of Percy Bysshe Shelley
Walter Shelley, 17th-century politician, colonist of Jamestown, Virginia
Wanda Shelley (born 1969), American television producer
Sir William Shelley (c.1480–1549), English judge
Shelley baronets

Given name

Women

Shelley Ackerman (1953–2020), American astrologer, writer, actress, and singer
Shelley Andrews (born 1953), Canadian field hockey player
Shelley Anna, American chemical engineer
Shelley Archer (born 1958), Australian politician
Shelley Beattie (1967–2008), American professional female bodybuilder and actress
Shelley Bennett, American actress, producer, and artist
Shelley Berger, American professor
Rochelle Shelley Berkley (born 1951), American businesswoman, politician, and attorney
Shelley Blond (born 1970), English actress
Shelley-Ann Brown (born 1980), Canadian bobsledder
Shelley Chaplin (born 1984), Australian wheelchair basketball player
Shelley Duvall (1949–2024), American actress
Michele Shelley Fabares (born 1944), American singer and actress
Michelle Shelley Fruin (born 1961), New Zealand cricketer
Michelle Shelley Funke Frommeyer (born 1969), American politician
Shelley Griffiths, New Zealand academic
Shelley Hack (born 1947), American model and actress
Michelle Shelley Hadfield, New Zealand paralympian
Shelley Hennig (born 1987), American actress
Shelley Jackson (born 1963), American writer and artist
Michelle Shelley Kerr (born 1969), Scottish football manager
Shelley Long (born 1949), American actress
Shelley Parker-Chan, Australian fantasy novelist
Shelley Ross, American television executive producer
Shelley Rudman (born 1981), British athlete
Shelley Rudnicki, American politician
Shelley Sandie (born 1969), Australian basketball player
Rachelle Shelley Shannon (born 1956), American anti-abortion extremist
Shelley Smith, multiple people
Rochelle Shelley Solomon (1963–2014), American professional tennis player
Shelley Steiner (born 1961), Canadian Olympic fencer
Shelley Tanaka, Canadian author and editor
Shelley Tepperman, Canadian translator
Rochelle Shelley Vana (born 1951), American politician
Shelley Vance, American politician
Michelle Shelley Williams-Walker, British politician
Shelley Winters (1920–2006), American actress

Men

Shelley Appleton (1919–2005), American trade union executive and attorney
Sheldon Shelley Berman (1925–2017), American comedian and actor
Shelley Duncan (born 1979), American professional baseball player
Shelley Hull (1884–1919), American actor
Shelley Jensen, American television director and producer
Shelley Malil (born 1984), Indian-American actor
Shelley Mayfield (1924–2010), American golf course architect and professional golfer
Shelley Massenburg-Smith (born 1988), American rapper, singer, and record producer
I. Sheldon Shelley Posen, Canadian folklorist, singer, and songwriter
Shelley Scarlett, 5th Baron Abinger (1872–1917), British peer and military officer
Shelley Smith, multiple people
Shelton Shelley Wickramasinghe (1926–2011), Sri Lankan cricketer

Code name

F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, S.O.E. operative who had "SHELLEY" as a code name during World War II

Fictional characters

James Shelley, the title character of Shelley (TV series)
Shelley Levene, a main character in the stage play Glengarry Glen Ross, and the 1992 film of the same name
Shelley Marsh, a secondary character on the Comedy Central show South Park
Shelley Simon, One Tree Hill character
Shelley Unwin, a character in the British TV series Coronation Street
Shelley Winters, a main character in the popular webcomic Scary Go Round
Shelly Johnson, one of the main characters in Twin Peaks
Nathan Shelley, a main character in the Apple TV series Ted Lasso

Animals

Shelley (tortoise), a tortoise on Blue Peter

Notes

^ Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia (1988). A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press. p. 488. ISBN 0-19-211592-8. Retrieved 19 November 2024 – via Internet Archive.

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[1] Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia (1988). A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press. p. 488. ISBN 0-19-211592-8. Retrieved 19 November 2024 – via Internet Archive.

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