# Shelley

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈʃɛli/ · frequency rank #14,215

## Definitions
1. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), a Romantic poet.
2. A habitational surname from Old English.
3. A male given name transferred from the surname, of mostly before 1930 usage.
4. A diminutive of the male given name Sheldon.
5. A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1930s and later usage, also explained as a variant of Shirley or Michelle.
6. A diminutive of the female given name Rochelle.
7. A number of places:
8. A number of places:
9. A number of places:
10. A number of places:
11. A number of places:
12. A number of places:
13. A number of places:

## Etymology
From Old English, meaning "clearing on a bank".

## Easily confused with
- **shells** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-shells)
- **shelly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-shelly)
- **smelly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-smelly)
- **shelter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-shelter)
- **spelled** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-spelled)
- **shelves** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-shelves)
- **Shirley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-shirley)
- **smelled** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-smelled)
- **swelled** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-swelled)
- **Shipley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelley-vs-shipley)
- **shell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shell-vs-shelley)
- **seller** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seller-vs-shelley)
- **Shelby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelby-vs-shelley)
- **Seeley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seeley-vs-shelley)
- **shelled** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shelled-vs-shelley)
- **shellac** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shellac-vs-shelley)

## Common misspellings (9)
`hselley`, `sehlley`, `shelely`, `sheley`, `shelleyy`, `shellye`, `shhelley`, `shleley`, `sshelley`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shelley