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Name Biscuit

Girl name

Shelby

Shelby ranks #101 out of 5,428 girl dog names in our data (the #1 girl dog name is Bella). Across all 16 places, 312 dogs carry the name. It's also a cat name: #279 among girl cat names.
Shelby's popularity trend

Shelby's share of dogs, year by year — or toggle to its yearly rank. Peak year by share: 2007.

0.1%0.2%0.3%0.4%200720112015201920232025
Dogs in our data
312
across 16 places
Popularity rank
#101
of 5,428 girl dog names
5-year rank move
−44
2020 → 2025
Gender split
95% girls
95% girls5% boys
What does Shelby mean?
/ˈʃɛlbi/2 syllablesOrigin: a surname

Shelby started out as an English surname built from a place name: "salwe," meaning willow or sallow, joined with "-by," an Old Norse-derived word for a settlement or farm. Put together, it means something like "willow farm" or "settlement among the willows." It moved from surname to given name over the 20th century and now reads as gender-neutral, popular on both sides of the Atlantic.

Shelby has a breezy, athletic ring to it, at home on a scrappy shelter mutt or a sleek working dog. It suits a companion with an easygoing, unfussy personality.

Etymology & pronunciation from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Where Shelby shows up

Shelby's share of each place's counted dogs. Places count differently — hover a Share figure for the basis. Click a heading to sort.

ProspectAustralia0.2%
Maple RidgeCanada0.1%
Surf Coast ShireAustralia0.1%
DarwinAustralia0.1%
Allegheny CountyUnited States of America0.1%
BurnsideAustralia0.1%
PlayfordAustralia0.1%
WorcesterUnited States of America0.1%
CambridgeUnited States of America0.1%
Noosa ShireAustralia0.1%
New York CityUnited States of America0.0%
SeattleUnited States of America0.0%
Port Adelaide EnfieldAustralia0.0%
Basel-StadtSwitzerland0.0%
ZürichSwitzerland0.0%

Names like Shelby