Is Shelva a boy or girl name?

Shelva is a girl’s name. Of the 1,131 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 98.8% were girls and 1.2% were boys.

Shelva

Recorded 1936–1980 · United States

Shelva was most popular in 1937, when 194 American babies were given the name — ranking #854 that year. It was not recorded in 2025. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 1,131 people named Shelva.

Shelva over time

Births per year. The dot marks Shelva’s peak in 1937. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Shelva a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Shelva is a girl’s name — 98.8% of the 1,131 Americans given it were girls and 1.2% were boys.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Shelva

Where Shelva is most concentrated

How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.

Explore further

See Shelva on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org