The Shelby surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,303 people carried this name — #2,912 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 24,000 people counted. That is up 6% from 11,624 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Shelby surname

From a medieval name, of obscure origin, yet likely an alteration of Middle English Selby, Salibi (“dweller of the willow place”), from salwe (“willow, sallow”) + -by (“settlement, farm”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Shelby» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In print

Shelby in American newspapers,
1852–1870.

Newspaper page from New York Dispatch carrying the name Shelby
New York Dispatch 1869-12-26
Newspaper page from New-york Daily Tribune carrying the name Shelby
New-york Daily Tribune 1852-04-09
Newspaper page from New York Dispatch carrying the name Shelby
New York Dispatch 1870-01-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,532 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Shelby in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

1,260 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shelby. The most, 238, date from the 1880s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 400
New South Wales 311
Queensland 212
South Australia 186
Western Australia 65
Tasmania 44
ACT (Canberra) 38

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shelby.

Who carried it

People named Shelby,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Isaac Shelby
    Isaac Shelby 1750–1826 · politician
  • Isaac Shelby
    Isaac Shelby 1750–1826 · politician
  • Thomas Hart Shelby
    Thomas Hart Shelby 1789–1869
  • Joseph O. Shelby
    Joseph O. Shelby 1830–1897 · farmer
  • Kid McCoy
    Kid McCoy 1872–1940 · film actor
  • Moses Shelby 1760–1828

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Shelby,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States683 records

683 records of the Shelby name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 389
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 192
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 44
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 26
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 12
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 8
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 8
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James W. Shelby

    Born 1924 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Macarthur San Pedro, California; machine shop worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Jay Clayton Shelby

    Born 1941; from Nebo, Illinois. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annie Shelby

    Arrived at New York in 1875 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool, aged 23; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 683 records for Shelby in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia13 records

13 records of the Shelby name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 10
  • Tasmanian Names Index 2
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Shelby

    Arrived in Victoria in 1862 aboard the Norfolk, aged 33.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record William Shelby

    Listed at Hobart, Tasmania, in the census of 1848.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mollie H. Shelby

    Of New South Wales; died 1956.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Shelby in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada12 records

12 records of the Shelby name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 4
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 2
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Shelby

    Came to Ontario in 1876 aboard the Scan, landing at Quebec, bound for Gravenhurst, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Barbara Deloys Shelby

    Died 1941; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Willis Colebrook Shelby

    Married 1945 in Dartmouth, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 12 records for Shelby in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Shelby name in the United Kingdom Welsh wills index cards
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Margaret Jane Shelby

    Will proved in 1932; of Wrexham, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Counts: National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

France1 record

1 record of the Shelby name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jolin Frederick Shelby

    Born 1939 in the United States; died 1994 in Trouville-sur-Mer (Calvados).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Shelby.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Shelby is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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