Unisex · #857 in 2026

Kelly

Kelly is a unisex given name derived from an Anglicized version of the Irish masculine name Ceallach or a transferred use of the Irish surname O'Ceallaigh. O'Ceallaigh, which means "descendant of Ceallach", was Anglicized as Kelly or O'Kelly; the meaning of the personal name Ceallach is uncertain. It could mean "bright-headed," or "strife" or "monastery church" in Irish.

  • Irish
  • English
Current Rank
#857
Peak Rank
#10 (1977)
Total Babies
474K
5-Yr Trend
-22%
👧 Girl peak #10 (474K total)
👦 Boy peak #97 (83K total)
👧As Girl Name
1907
First Year
2026
Last Year
1977
Peak Year
#10
Peak Rank
474K
Total Count
119
Years Active
👦As Boy Name
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1967
Peak Year
#97
Peak Rank
83K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kelly

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

Kelly is a unisex given name derived from an Anglicized version of the Irish masculine name Ceallach or a transferred use of the Irish surname O'Ceallaigh. O'Ceallaigh, which means "descendant of Ceallach", was Anglicized as Kelly or O'Kelly; the meaning of the personal name Ceallach is uncertain. It could mean "bright-headed," or "strife" or "monastery church" in Irish.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Irish
  • English
Etymology
.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}} Main article: Kelly (surname) The surname Kelly has multiple origins. There is a Clan Kelly in Scotland, possibly derived from a toponym Kelloe . The Irish surname may be from either Ó Ceallaigh or Ó Cadhla , or yet again from a toponym. The surname was established in the United States by the early 19th

The Story of Kelly

As a girl name

Kelly first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1907, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1977: 18,234 births, good for #10 nationwide. About 28% of every Kelly on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kelly ranks #857 for girls with 317 births, falling sharply (-22%). All told, over 474K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1900s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

American parents first put Kelly on the record books as a boy name in 1880, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1967, when 3,093 Kellys were born — ranking #102 that year. About 34% of every Kelly on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kelly ranks #1,634 for boys with 105 births, holding steady (-2%). All told, over 83K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s 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 Kelly

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

Where is Kelly most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • Ireland
    57%
  • United States
    20%
  • Australia
    9%
  • United Kingdom
    8%
  • New Zealand
    6%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Kelly

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kelly 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 Kelly

What does the name Kelly mean?
Kelly is a unisex given name derived from an Anglicized version of the Irish masculine name Ceallach or a transferred use of the Irish surname O'Ceallaigh. O'Ceallaigh, which means "descendant of Ceallach", was Anglicized as Kelly or O'Kelly; the meaning of the personal name Ceallach is uncertain. It could mean "bright-headed," or "strife" or "monastery church" in Irish.
What is the origin of the name Kelly?
Kelly has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Irish, English.
How popular is Kelly in 2026?
In 2026, Kelly ranks #857 among girls' names in the U.S., with 317 babies given the name that year.
When was Kelly most popular?
Kelly reached its peak popularity in 1977, ranking #10 that year with 18,234 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kelly most popular?
Kelly has historically been most popular in Delaware, New Jersey, District of Columbia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kelly.
Is Kelly a unisex name?
Yes — Kelly is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 85% of Kellys assigned female and 15% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Kelly?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kelly include Laura, Lillian, Rebecca. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Kelly?
Common variants and related forms of Kelly include Ceallach, Ceallagh, Kelleigh, Kelley, Kelli, Kellie. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

👧 Similar Girl Names

👧
Laura
Peak #10
👧
Lillian
Peak #10
👧
Rebecca
Peak #10
👧
Carolyn
Peak #10

👦 Similar Boy Names

👦
Malik
Peak #97
👦
Mack
Peak #96
👦
Jake
Peak #96
👦
Percy
Peak #98

About the name Kelly

Kelly is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1907 and has accumulated 474K births in the dataset. Kelly's peak popularity came in 1977 when it ranked #10. Use the chart and map above to compare Kelly'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.