Shelley (name)

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.

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 (born 1947), British 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), 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
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
Percy Florence Shelley (1819–1889), son of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley
Pete Shelley (1955–2018), English musician, lead singer of Buzzcocks
Peter Shelley, 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
Sidney Patrick Shelley (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

Shelley Berman (1925–2017), American comedian and actor
Shelley Chaplin (born 1984), Australian wheelchair basketball player
Shelley Duncan (born 1979), former baseball player
Shelley Duvall (born 1949), American actress
Shelley Hennig (born 1987), American actress
Shelly Hutchinson, American politician
Shelley Jensen, American television director and producer
Shelley Long (born 1949), American actress
Shelley Malil (born 1984), Indian American actor
Shelley Rudman (born 1981), British athlete
Shelley Sandie (born 1969), Australian basketball player
Shelley Tanaka, Canadian author and editor
Shelley Tepperman, Canadian translator
Shelley Winters (1920–2006), American actress

Code name

F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, S.O.E. operative 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

Animals

Shelley (tortoise), a tortoise on Blue Peter