Girl · #7,781 in 2026

Kelli

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

  • English
Current Rank
#7,781
Peak Rank
#115 (1970)
Total Babies
75K
5-Yr Trend
-45%
1945
First Year
2026
Last Year
1970
Peak Year
#115
Peak Rank
75K
Total Count
80
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kelli

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

Kelli 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 Kelli

The earliest SSA record of Kelli as a baby girl name dates back to 1945, when 5 babies received it. 1970 was its biggest year on record, with 3,331 newborns named Kelli — #115 in the national rankings. About 29% of every Kelli on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kelli ranks #7,781 for baby girls with 13 births, falling sharply (-45%). All told, over 75K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

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 Kelli

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

Names that sound like Kelli

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kelli 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 Kelli

What does the name Kelli mean?
Kelli is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
What is the origin of the name Kelli?
Kelli has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Kelli in 2026?
In 2026, Kelli ranks #7,781 among girls' names in the U.S., with 13 babies given the name that year.
When was Kelli most popular?
Kelli reached its peak popularity in 1970, ranking #115 that year with 3,331 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kelli most popular?
Kelli has historically been most popular in Nevada, South Dakota, Nebraska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kelli.
Is Kelli a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Kelli is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Kelli?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kelli include Lucile, Margot, Jaclyn. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Kelli?
Common variants and related forms of Kelli include Kelleigh, Kelley, Kellie, Kelly. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Kelli

Kelli is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1945 and has accumulated 75K births in the dataset. Kelli's peak popularity came in 1970 when it ranked #115. Use the chart and map above to compare Kelli'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.