Unisex · #1,038 in 2026

Kellen

Kellen is a name with a single cultural origin: English.

  • English
Current Rank
#1,038
Peak Rank
#337 (2012)
Total Babies
17K
5-Yr Trend
-27%
👧 Girl peak #2,044 (1K total)
👦 Boy peak #337 (17K total)
👦As Boy Name
1954
First Year
2026
Last Year
2012
Peak Year
#337
Peak Rank
17K
Total Count
63
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
1961
First Year
2026
Last Year
1988
Peak Year
#2044
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
56
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kellen

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Kellen is a name with a single cultural origin: English.

Origin data from Behind the Name .

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Kellen

As a girl name

Kellen first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1961, with 9 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1988: 57 births, good for #2,051 nationwide. About 30% of every Kellen on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kellen ranks #8,470 for girls with 11 births, holding steady (-1%). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

Kellen first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1954, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2012: 932 births, good for #337 nationwide. About 36% of every Kellen on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kellen ranks #1,038 for boys with 214 births, falling sharply (-27%). All told, over 17K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Kellen

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Kellen. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Kellen

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kellen is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kellen

What does the name Kellen mean?
Kellen is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
What is the origin of the name Kellen?
Kellen has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Kellen in 2026?
In 2026, Kellen ranks #1,038 among boys' names in the U.S., with 214 babies given the name that year.
When was Kellen most popular?
Kellen reached its peak popularity in 2012, ranking #337 that year with 932 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kellen most popular?
Kellen has historically been most popular in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kellen.
Is Kellen a unisex name?
Yes — Kellen is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 7% of Kellens assigned female and 93% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Kellen?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kellen include Judge, Monty, Nehemiah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Kellen?
Common variants and related forms of Kellen include Kelan, Kellan. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Kellen

Kellen is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1954 and has accumulated 17K births in the dataset. Kellen's peak popularity came in 2012 when it ranked #337. Use the chart and map above to compare Kellen's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.