Shelby (given name)

For other uses, see Shelby (disambiguation).

Shelby

Isaac Shelby, the first governor of Kentucky.
Gender	Unisex
Language(s)	English
Origin
Meaning	Transferred use of English surname

Shelby is a given name, a transferred use of the northern English surname. Its meaning is uncertain. It has been in use as a given name, mainly in North America, since the 1700s. Initial usage for boys was probably influenced by Isaac Shelby (1750-1826), a United States Revolutionary War commander and later governor of Kentucky. ^[1] Usage for girls has been influenced by its use for the character Shelby Barret Wyatt in the 1935 film The Woman in Red and the character Shelby Eatonten-Latcherie in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias . ^[2]

People

Men

• Shelby Lee Adams (born 1950), American photographer
• Shelby Blackstock (born 1990), American racing driver
• Shelby Brewer (1937–2015), American nuclear engineer
• Shelby Bryan (born 1946), American technology executive
• Shelby Coffey III (born 1946/1947), American journalist and business executive
• Shelby Moore Cullom (1829–1914), member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, and 17th Governor of Illinois
• Shelby Cullom Davis (1909–1994), American investment banker, philanthropist and United States Ambassador to Switzerland
• Shelby Davis (born 1937), American money manager; son of Shelby Cullom Davis
• Shelby Foote (1916–2005), American historian and novelist
• Shelby Gaines (fl. mid-1990s), American musician and visual artist
• Shelby Harris (born 1991), American football player
• Shelby Millard Harrison (1881–1970), American social scientist
• Shelby Highsmith (1929–2015), American federal judge
• Shelby Howard (born 1985), American racing driver
• Shelby D. Hunt (1939–2022), American business theorist
• Shelby Jacobs (1935–2022), American engineer
• Shelby James (born 1973), American sport cyclist
• Shelby Jordan (1952–2022), American football player
• Shelby Kutty (fl. 1990s), Indian-born American cardiologist
• Shelby A. Laxson (1913–1982), American politician
• Shelby Linville (1929–2008), American basketball player
• Shelby Metcalf (1930–2007), American basketball coach
• Shelby Miller (born 1990), American baseball pitcher
• Shelby Singleton (1931–2009), American record producer and record label owner
• Shelby Steele (born 1946), American author, columnist, documentary film maker and academic
• Shelby G. Tilford (1937–2022), American scientist
• Shelby Tucker (born 1935), American lawyer and journalist
• Shelby Westbrook (1922–2016), American aviator and Tuskegee Airman
• Shelby Whitfield (1935–2013), American sportscaster
• Shelby Wilson (born 1937), American wrestler and 1960 Olympic gold medalist

Women

• Shelby Babcock (born 1992), American softball player
• Shelby Bach (born 1986), American children's writer
• Shelby Chong (born 1948), American comedian, actress, and producer
• Shelby Ivey Christie, American fashion and costume historian
• Shelby Dressel (born 1990), American singer-songwriter
• Shelby Earl (born 1976), American singer-songwriter
• Shelby Fero (born 1993), American comedian and screenwriter
• Shelby Flint (born 1939), American singer-songwriter
• Shelby Grant (1936–2011), American actress born Brenda Thompson
• Shelby Hearon (1931–2016), American writer
• Shelby Hogan (born 1998), American soccer goalkeeper
• Shelby Holliday (fl. 2008), American television journalist
• Shelby Houlihan (born 1993), American runner
• Shelby Hughes (1981–2014), American artist and designer
• Shelby Johnson, known as Shelby J. (born 1972), American singer-songwriter
• Shelby Kisiel (born 1994), American rhythmic gymnast
• Shelby F. Lewis, American political scientist and scholar
• Shelby Lindley (born 1986), American voice actress
• Shelby Lynne (born 1968), American singer-songwriter
• Shelby Lyons (born 1981), American retired figure skater
• Shelby Pierson (fl. mid-1990s), American intelligence official
• Shelby Rabara (born 1983), American actress and dancer
• Shelby Rogers (born 1992), American tennis player
• Shelby Sherritt, Australian ceramicist
• Shelby Starner (1984–2003), American singer-songwriter and musician
• Shelby Tracy Tom (1963–2003), Canadian female murder victim
• Shelby Walker (1975-2006), American boxer
• Shelby Young (born 1992), American actress

Notes

1. Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 246. ISBN   0-19-861060-2.
2. Evans, Cleveland Kent (2007), "The Tsunami Curve and Popular Culture: Influences on Given Names", Names: A Journal of Onomastics, 55 (4)