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2025 data, released 8 May 2026

2025 data, released 8 May 2026

Shelva

Shelva was not among the names given to 5 or more girls in 2025. Its best year was 1937, when it ranked 471st with 194 babies. More babies were named Shelva in the 1930s than in any other decade.

Meaning Not yet researched how we research meanings

Rank in 2025
Not rankedgirls
Babies in 2025
0girls
Girls and boys
No babies recorded in the last five years2021–2025
Peak year
1937194 babies
Total since 1880
1,131babies recorded

Shelva popularity since 1880

050100150200 1900192019401960198020002020
Girls Babies per year, US, from Social Security records. Years with fewer than 5 babies show as zero.

A few boys are given the name too: 14 since 1936.

YearRank (girls)Babies (girls)
2025——
2020——
2010——
2000——
1990——
1980#11,8525
1970#6,2708
1960#4,13111
1950#2,42018
1940#85770
1930——
1920——
1910——
1900——
1890——
1880——

How popular is Shelva, counting every spelling?

Shelva has no other common spelling that sounds the same.

How old are people named Shelva?

About 500 people born in the US named Shelva are alive today, with a median age of 82; half are between 71 and 88. That makes Shelva a name most people associate with older generations.

0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980–8990+
Estimated people alive in the US with the name, by age, mid-2026. The darker bar holds the median age.

Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.

Shelva by state

How common Shelva was among girls born in each state in 1935–1939, around its peak. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (12.5×), Virginia (4.4×), Pennsylvania (2.2×), Georgia (2.0×), North Carolina (1.9×). In 37 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.

Alaska: fewer than 5 a yearAK–Maine: fewer than 5 a yearME–Wisconsin: fewer than 5 a yearWI–Vermont: fewer than 5 a yearVT–New Hampshire: fewer than 5 a yearNH–Washington: fewer than 5 a yearWA–Idaho: fewer than 5 a yearID–Montana: fewer than 5 a yearMT–North Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearND–Minnesota: fewer than 5 a yearMN–Illinois: fewer than 5 a yearIL–Michigan: 0.03 per 1,000 babiesMI0.03New York: 0.01 per 1,000 babiesNY0.01Massachusetts: fewer than 5 a yearMA–Oregon: fewer than 5 a yearOR–Nevada: fewer than 5 a yearNV–Wyoming: fewer than 5 a yearWY–South Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearSD–Iowa: fewer than 5 a yearIA–Indiana: fewer than 5 a yearIN–Ohio: 0.18 per 1,000 babiesOH0.18Pennsylvania: 0.22 per 1,000 babiesPA0.22New Jersey: fewer than 5 a yearNJ–Connecticut: fewer than 5 a yearCT–Rhode Island: fewer than 5 a yearRI–California: fewer than 5 a yearCA–Utah: fewer than 5 a yearUT–Colorado: fewer than 5 a yearCO–Nebraska: fewer than 5 a yearNE–Missouri: 0.04 per 1,000 babiesMO0.04Kentucky: 0.16 per 1,000 babiesKY0.16West Virginia: 1.3 per 1,000 babiesWV1.3Virginia: 0.45 per 1,000 babiesVA0.45Maryland: 0.10 per 1,000 babiesMD0.10Delaware: fewer than 5 a yearDE–Arizona: fewer than 5 a yearAZ–New Mexico: fewer than 5 a yearNM–Kansas: fewer than 5 a yearKS–Arkansas: fewer than 5 a yearAR–Tennessee: 0.16 per 1,000 babiesTN0.16North Carolina: 0.20 per 1,000 babiesNC0.20South Carolina: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesSC0.05District of Columbia: fewer than 5 a yearDC–Oklahoma: fewer than 5 a yearOK–Louisiana: fewer than 5 a yearLA–Mississippi: fewer than 5 a yearMS–Alabama: 0.09 per 1,000 babiesAL0.09Georgia: 0.20 per 1,000 babiesGA0.20Hawaii: fewer than 5 a yearHI–Texas: fewer than 5 a yearTX–Florida: fewer than 5 a yearFL–
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex, Shelva, girls, 1935–1939. Darker means more common.

Names with a similar history

These names rose and fell in step with Shelva: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Shelva, they share its era and feel.

Questions about the name Shelva

How popular is the name Shelva?

Shelva was not among the names given to 5 or more girls in 2025. Its best year was 1937, when it ranked 471st with 194 babies. More babies were named Shelva in the 1930s than in any other decade.

Is Shelva a boy or girl name?

No babies were given the name in 2021–2025. Historically it was given to 1,117 girls and 14 boys.

Where was Shelva most popular?

In 1935–1939, Shelva was most common in West Virginia (1.27 per 1,000 girls), followed by Virginia and Pennsylvania.