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, Shelley is today a name given almost exclusively to girls after historically being male. It is commonly used as a nickname for Michelle. 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, the first Auditor-General in British Hong Kong
- Alex Shelley, stage name of American wrestler Patrick Martin
- Alexander Shelley, English conductor
- Arthur Shelley, British footballer
- Barbara Shelley, English actress
- Bert Shelley, English footballer
- Brian Shelley, Irish footballer
- Burke Shelley, Welsh musician, member of rock group Budgie
- Sir Bysshe Shelley, 1st Baronet, grandfather of Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Carla Shelley, film producer
- Carole Shelley, English actress
- Cindy Shelley, British actress
- Danny Shelley, English footballer
- David Shelley, American blues rock musician
- David Shelley (publisher), British book publisher
- Deck Shelley, American football player
- Duke Shelley, American football player
- Elbert Shelley, American football player
- Sir Frederic Shelley, 8th Baronet, cleric and landowner
- George Shelley (singer), English singer, member of group Union J
- George Ernest Shelley, English geologist and ornithologist
- George M. Shelley, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
- Gerard Shelley, British linguist, author and translator
- Gladys Shelley, American lyricist and composer
- Harry Rowe Shelley, American composer
- Howard Shelley, British pianist and conductor
- Hugh Shelley, American baseball player of the 1930s and 1940s
- Jack Shelley (footballer), Australian footballer
- James Shelley, New Zealand university professor
- Jaz Shelley, Australian basketball player
- Jeremy Shelley, American football placekicker
- Jim Shelley (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jody Shelley, Canadian ice hockey player
- Joe Shelley, Australian footballer
- John Shelley (disambiguation), multiple people
- Joshua Shelley, American actor
- Kate Shelley, Irish-born US railroad heroine
- Kenneth Shelley, American figure skater
- Kevin Shelley, American politician
- Lee Shelley, American fencer
- Lilian Shelley, English music hall entertainer
- Louise Shelley, American university professor
- Martha Shelley, American writer
- Mary Shelley, English writer, author of the novel Frankenstein
- Mary Michael Shelley, American folk artist
- Michael Shelley (disambiguation), multiple people
- Nancy Shelley, Australian peace activist
- Norman Shelley, English actor
- Paul Shelley, English actor
- Paul Shelley (politician), Canadian politician
- Percy Shelley (potter), English potter
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet, husband of Mary Shelley
- Sir Percy Shelley, 3rd Baronet, son of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley
- Pete Shelley, English musician, lead singer of Buzzcocks
- Peter Shelley, British 1970s pop singer
- Rachel Shelley, English actress
- Rebecca Shelley, American pacifist
- Rex Shelley, Eurasian Singaporean author
- Richard Shelley, English Catholic under Elizabeth I
- Richard Shelley (grand prior), English diplomat
- Rick Shelley, American science fiction writer
- Ronald G. Shelley, philatelist
- Samuel Shelley, English miniaturist and water-colour painter
- Sir Sidney Shelley, 8th Baronet, relative of Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Steve Shelley, American drummer, member of group Sonic Youth
- Timothy Shelley, English politician, father of Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Troy Shelley, American politician
- Walter Shelley, 17th-century politician, colonist of Jamestown, Virginia
- Wanda Shelley, American television producer
- Sir William Shelley, English judge
- Shelley baronets
Given name
Women
- Shelley Ackerman, American astrologer, writer, actress, and singer
- Shelley Andrews, Canadian field hockey player
- Shelley Anna, American chemical engineer
- Shelley Archer, Australian politician
- Shelley Beattie, American professional female bodybuilder and actress
- Shelley Bennett, American actress, producer, and artist
- Shelley Berger, American professor
- Rochelle Shelley Berkley, American businesswoman, politician, and attorney
- Shelley Blond, English actress
- Shelley-Ann Brown, Canadian bobsledder
- Shelley Chaplin, Australian wheelchair basketball player
- Shelley Duvall, American actress
- Michele Shelley Fabares, American singer and actress
- Michelle Shelley Fruin, New Zealand cricketer
- Michelle Shelley Funke Frommeyer, American politician
- Shelley Griffiths, New Zealand academic
- Shelley Hack, American model and actress
- Michelle Shelley Hadfield, New Zealand paralympian
- Shelley Hennig, American actress
- Shelley Jackson, American writer and artist
- Michelle Shelley Kerr, Scottish football manager
- Shelley Long, American actress
- Shelley Parker-Chan, Australian fantasy novelist
- Shelley Ross, American television executive producer
- Shelley Rudman, British athlete
- Shelley Rudnicki, American politician
- Shelley Sandie, Australian basketball player
- Rachelle Shelley Shannon, American anti-abortion extremist
- Shelley Smith (disambiguation), multiple people
- Rochelle Shelley Solomon, American professional tennis player
- Shelley Steiner, Canadian Olympic fencer
- Shelley Tanaka, Canadian author and editor
- Shelley Tepperman, Canadian translator
- Rochelle Shelley Vana, American politician
- Shelley Vance, American politician
- Michelle Shelley Williams-Walker, British politician
- Shelley Winters, American actress
Men
- Shelley Appleton, American trade union executive and attorney
- Sheldon Shelley Berman, American comedian and actor
- Shelley Duncan, American professional baseball player
- Shelley Hull, American actor
- Shelley Jensen, American television director and producer
- Shelley Malil, Indian-American actor
- Shelley Mayfield, American golf course architect and professional golfer
- Shelley Massenburg-Smith, American rapper, singer, and record producer
- I. Sheldon Shelley Posen, Canadian folklorist, singer, and songwriter
- Shelley Scarlett, 5th Baron Abinger, British peer and military officer
- Shelley Smith (disambiguation), multiple people
- Shelton Shelley Wickramasinghe, 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''