Kelby
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KEL-bee
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #5,207 for boys
Kelby is a boys' name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 5,207th for boys in the US (18 babies).
What does Kelby mean?
English: English surname from a Lincolnshire place name
From an English surname based on a Lincolnshire place name ending in Old Norse -by, 'farm, settlement'.
Is Kelby a girl's or a boy's name?
Kelby is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 14 girls and 18 boys in the US.
How popular is Kelby in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1997, with 7 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kelby in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kelby in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | #6,556 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 1 | #6,364 |
| 2020 | 5 | #3,502 |
| 2019 | 7 | #2,878 |
| 2018 | 3 | #4,959 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 4 | #4,026 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 4 | #3,748 |
| 2006 | 4 | #3,522 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 4 | #3,147 |
| 2003 | 4 | #2,990 |
| 2002 | 4 | #2,751 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 4 | #2,612 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 1 | #3,884 |
| 1997 | 7 | #1,678 |
How popular is Kelby in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,207among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 18about 1 in 95,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 36% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 18 boys in the US were named Kelby, making it the 5,207th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,422nd. Its busiest year was 1991, with 187 boys. It first appears in the records in 1948. 14 girls were also named Kelby in 2025 (7,489th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Kelby in the US since 1880 were born between 1987 and 2004, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 13% of the babies named Kelby in the US in 1974, and 44% in 2025.
Kelby in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | #5,207 |
| 2024 | 14 | #6,194 |
| 2023 | 20 | #4,882 |
| 2022 | 26 | #4,086 |
| 2021 | 24 | #4,243 |
| 2020 | 22 | #4,422 |
| 2019 | 19 | #4,947 |
| 2018 | 40 | #2,942 |
| 2017 | 29 | #3,674 |
| 2016 | 32 | #3,440 |
| 2015 | 42 | #2,808 |
| 2014 | 40 | #2,883 |
| 2013 | 47 | #2,560 |
| 2012 | 59 | #2,208 |
| 2011 | 50 | #2,477 |
| 2010 | 74 | #1,912 |
| 2009 | 53 | #2,400 |
| 2008 | 79 | #1,838 |
| 2007 | 76 | #1,875 |
| 2006 | 72 | #1,876 |
| 2005 | 79 | #1,688 |
| 2004 | 110 | #1,333 |
| 2003 | 109 | #1,290 |
| 2002 | 68 | #1,705 |
| 2001 | 108 | #1,228 |
| 2000 | 75 | #1,569 |
| 1999 | 118 | #1,116 |
| 1998 | 134 | #1,011 |
| 1997 | 110 | #1,131 |
| 1996 | 97 | #1,178 |
| 1995 | 138 | #943 |
| 1994 | 152 | #869 |
| 1993 | 151 | #857 |
| 1992 | 154 | #851 |
| 1991 | 187 | #741 |
| 1990 | 123 | #926 |
| 1989 | 117 | #937 |
| 1988 | 114 | #896 |
| 1987 | 88 | #1,008 |
| 1986 | 58 | #1,268 |
| 1985 | 52 | #1,332 |
| 1984 | 45 | #1,421 |
| 1983 | 43 | #1,447 |
| 1982 | 32 | #1,773 |
| 1981 | 39 | #1,547 |
| 1980 | 49 | #1,341 |
| 1979 | 44 | #1,407 |
| 1978 | 37 | #1,537 |
| 1977 | 48 | #1,289 |
| 1976 | 48 | #1,267 |
| 1975 | 46 | #1,258 |
| 1974 | 46 | #1,229 |
| 1973 | 56 | #1,082 |
| 1972 | 57 | #1,069 |
| 1971 | 48 | #1,181 |
| 1970 | 44 | #1,253 |
| 1969 | 23 | #1,727 |
| 1968 | 23 | #1,649 |
| 1967 | 14 | #2,138 |
| 1966 | 7 | #3,247 |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 7 | #3,281 |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 5 | #4,063 |
| 1960 | 7 | #3,335 |
| 1959 | 6 | #3,618 |
| 1958 | 9 | #2,816 |
| 1957 | 10 | #2,629 |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 6 | #3,450 |
| 1953 | 11 | #2,390 |
| 1952 | 6 | #3,370 |
| 1951 | 7 | #3,064 |
| 1950 | 8 | #2,769 |
| 1949 | 5 | #3,688 |
| 1948 | 5 | #3,665 |
Names like Kelby
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Cody Brody Kody Rory Dylan Sonny Ryan Riley Colby Toby Kian Casey
Names related to Kelby
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie Hazel
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kelby: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kelby, updated 20 October 2026.