Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) a celebrity.

1912		Topeka Dly Capital (KS) 10 May 1/4: Slang has made such inroads into the English of the college girl [...] ‘Celebs’ means a person you admire for her achievements.
1913		Lincoln Daily News 27 Feb. in DN IV:ii 130: Dear Woodrow, you can have your job. / You’re welcome to it, too. / I’m glad I’m just a common lad / An’ no celeb like you.
1917		R. Lardner Gullible’s Travels 144: It was a little bit thrillin’ at first to be rubbin’ elbows with all them celeb’s.
1921		Broadway Brevities Dec 28: Horrors of a Month. [...] The front-page stuff on the visiting European celebs.
1938		W. Winchell On Broadway 7 May [synd. col.] All the people in the city who waste sending fan letters to movie and other celebs.
1941		Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 11 Jan. 7/1: The swank Mimo club, where friends meet and celebs celebrate.
1952		W. Winchell On Broadway 26 Aug. [synd. col.] Celebs contact many people briefly and can hardly be expected to remember them all.
1964		E. Wilson Earl Wilson’s N.Y. 41: It’s a bit off the beat for the juvenile celeb-chasers. [Ibid.] 38: The Inside on The Celebs.
1977		(con. 1969) M. Herr Dispatches 60: Doomsday celebs, technomatic projectionists; chemicals, gases, lasers, sonic-electric ballbreakers.
1985		E. Leonard Glitz 129: I don’t mean the celebs and the legit high rollers.
1996		S. Frank Get Shorty [film script] Now he’s got the dough to buy his way in, mix with celebs.
2001		N. Barlay Hooky Gear 240: A full-on dash is wha she perform, celeb-style like she was avoidin the media.
2009		(con. 1960s) J. Ellroy Blood’s a Rover 24: Clyde was a big-time PI. He did divorce jobs and got celebs out of the shit.
2010		K. Richards Life 167: All these celebs [...] had an incredible swing on things.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 277: Mr Big had prosties lure celebs into compromising contexts.