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 (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), 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, 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 (1949–2024), American actress
 * Shelley Fabares (born 1944), American singer and actress
 * Shelley Griffiths, New Zealand academic
 * Shelley Hack (born 1947), American model and 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 Ross, American television executive producer
 * Shelley Rudman (born 1981), British athlete
 * Shelley Sandie (born 1969), Australian basketball player
 * Shelley Steiner (born 1961), Canadian Olympic fencer
 * Shelley Tanaka, Canadian author and editor
 * Shelley Tepperman, Canadian translator
 * Shelley Vance, American politician
 * Shelley Winters (1920–2006), American actress

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