Shelby

Shelby is the transferred use of an English surname derived from a place name known as Selby in Yorkshire. Originally rendered as Selby or Selbie, Shelby is ultimately of Old Norse origin by way of the Vikings (Selby, England was established in the 8th century as a Viking settlement on the banks of the River Ouse in northeast England). The name comes from the Old Norse elements “selja” meaning “willow” and “býr” meaning “farm, settlement,” in other words, “willow town” (indicating that the original settlement was built up around willow trees). The willow tree is known for its graceful elegance and pliancy of wood. Willows grow in cold and temperate climates throughout the Northern Hemisphere and often near water. The tree’s branches can bend into unbelievable poses without breaking. In Celtic mythology there is a strong association between the willow tree and the moon/water, and as such connected with the metaphysical and encouragement of intuition and imagination. This bendable tree can withstand harsh environments, symbolizing our flexibility to adjust no matter where we are planted. Location-based surnames were usually assigned to people who hailed from one place and later relocated to another. The name of their birth town would serve to identify them. The first recorded spelling of this particular surname appeared in the late 12th century rendered as “de Selebia.” As a forename, Shelby’s usage was initially masculine in honor of Isaac Shelby (1750-1826), an American Revolutionary War commander and first governor of Kentucky. It wouldn’t be much later until the 20th century when Shelby started to emerge as a female giving name, owing largely to a 1935 film, “The Woman in Red”, starring Barbara Stanwyck as Shelby Barret Wyatt.