Given name
Shella
“from the bank's meadow”·“from the meadow's ledge”
Shella is a variant of Shelley. Interpretations include “from the bank's meadow” (English) and “from the meadow's ledge” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Shella is a variant of Shelley. Interpretations include “from the bank's meadow” (English) and “from the meadow's ledge” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Shella is a variant of Shelley. An origin associated with Shelley is English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1909. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Shella is a variant of Shelley. The history of Shelley gives this family its wider story. Shelley’s naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Shella through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,129
- 0 boys · 1,129 girls
- Most popular year
- 1959
- 42 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 6 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 42 in 1959. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,621 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Shella
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Shella, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Shelly
“from the bank's meadow” · “from the meadow's ledge”
>99% girls
Lorette
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Lorra
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Lil
“resembling the lily”
>99% girls
Irvina
“friend of the sea”
>99% girls
Lorilynn
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Merryl
“of the shining sea”
>99% girls
Rosette
“horse” · “fame”
>99% girls