A female given name; often associated with the Romantic poets; can also mean a place with shells or a rocky beach.
From Old English 'scylf' (shelf) or 'scell' (shell), possibly meaning a 'shell place' or 'shelf-like beach.' As a personal name, it became popular in the 20th century, sometimes derived from the surname Shelley.
Shelley might be named after beaches and shells, OR it might come from the famous poet Mary Shelley (who wrote Frankenstein!)—so the name might literally mean 'from the beach of shells' or 'named after a literary genius.'
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