Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Shelby” come from?

Shelby derives from Middle English Salibi, from Middle English salwe, from Old English sealh, from Proto-Germanic salhaz and salhô, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European saləḱ- and sh₂lk-.

Ancestry of “Shelby”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishSelby—
2Old Norseseljato hand over, deliver; to sell, part with;...
3Proto-Germanicsaljanąto offer, to give
4Proto-Indo-Europeanselh₁-to take

Words derived from “Shelby”

  • Shelbyville
  • Shelbi
  • Shelbyvillian
Every word from Proto-Indo-European selh₁- →