How popular is the baby name Shelbra in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Shelbra.

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Popularity of the baby name Shelbra


Posts that mention the name Shelbra

Interesting one-hit wonder names in the U.S. baby name data

single flower

They came, they went, and they never came back!

These baby names are one-hit wonders in the U.S. baby name data. That is, they’ve only popped up once, ever, in the entire dataset of U.S. baby names (which accounts for all names given to at least 5 U.S. babies per year since 1880).

There are thousands of one-hit wonders in the dataset, but the names below have interesting stories behind their single appearance, so these are the one-hits I’m writing specific posts about. Just click on a name to read more.

2020s

  • (none yet)

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s

1940s

1930s

1920s

1910s

1900s

  • (none yet)

1890s

As I discover (and write about) more one-hit wonders in the data, I’ll add the names/links to this page. In the meanwhile, do you have any favorite one-hit wonder baby names?

Image: Adapted from Solitary Poppy by Andy Beecroft under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Dec. 2023]

Where did the baby name Shelbra come from in 1971?

Soul Children album "Best Of Two Worlds" (1971)
Soul Children album

The name Shelbra was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in 1971:

  • 1973: unlisted
  • 1972: unlisted
  • 1971: 5 baby girls named Shelbra [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

It’s reminiscent of Shelby and Shelba, but I think this one has a specific explanation: vocal quartet The Soul Children, which included a female member with an “earthy, soulful voice” named Shelbra Bennett.

The group scored well over a dozen R&B hits from the late ’60s to the late ’70s, but their biggest singles were the three that crossed over and charted on the Hot 100: “The Sweeter He Is” (peaked in Nov. 1969), “Hearsay” (May 1972), and “I’ll Be the Other Woman” (Mar. 1974).

What do you think of the baby name Shelbra? Do you like it more or less than Shelby?

Sources: The Soul Children – Wikipedia, The Soul Children – Billboard, R.I.P. Shelbra Bennett of the Soul Children – Stax Museum of American Soul Music