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) (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 Captain George Ernest Shelley (15 May 1840 – 29 November 1910) was an England, English geologist and ornithologist. He was a nephew of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley was educated at the Lycée de Versailles and served a few years in ...

(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 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

(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 (disambiguation), 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 (disambiguation), 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 ''Ted Lasso'' ( ) is an American sports film, sports comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence (TV producer), Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly. It is based on a character Sudeikis portrayed in a series ...

Animals

* Shelley (tortoise), a tortoise on ''Blue Peter''

Notes

{{given name, type=both English feminine given names Feminine given names English unisex given names