Kelis
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- keh-LEES
- Origin
- Modern
- US rank, 2025
- #4,986 for girls
Kelis is a girls' name of Modern origin. In 2025 it ranked 4,986th for girls in the US (26 babies).
What does Kelis mean?
Modern: blend of the names Kenneth and Evelisse
Made famous by the singer Kelis, whose name blends those of her parents, Kenneth and Evelisse.
Is Kelis a girl's or a boy's name?
Kelis is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 26 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kelis in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2004, with 103 girls.
Half of all the girls named Kelis in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2008, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kelis in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6 | #3,728 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 8 | #3,018 |
| 2018 | 6 | #3,702 |
| 2017 | 7 | #3,395 |
| 2016 | 9 | #2,893 |
| 2015 | 9 | #2,855 |
| 2014 | 1 | #7,592 |
| 2013 | 7 | #3,338 |
| 2012 | 12 | #2,319 |
| 2011 | 14 | #2,032 |
| 2010 | 20 | #1,575 |
| 2009 | 19 | #1,556 |
| 2008 | 21 | #1,443 |
| 2007 | 17 | #1,614 |
| 2006 | 44 | #772 |
| 2005 | 56 | #633 |
| 2004 | 103 | #396 |
| 2003 | 21 | #1,156 |
| 2002 | 24 | #1,016 |
| 2001 | 33 | #800 |
| 2000 | 46 | #635 |
How popular is Kelis in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,986among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 26about 1 in 62,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 55% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 26 girls in the US were named Kelis, making it the 4,986th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,748th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 277 girls. It first appears in the records in 2000.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had the fewest girls named Kelis since it first appeared, in 2000.
Half of all the girls named Kelis in the US since 1880 were born between 2006 and 2014, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kelis in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | #4,986 |
| 2024 | 32 | #4,386 |
| 2023 | 48 | #3,329 |
| 2022 | 73 | #2,463 |
| 2021 | 70 | #2,510 |
| 2020 | 60 | #2,748 |
| 2019 | 75 | #2,376 |
| 2018 | 99 | #1,978 |
| 2017 | 68 | #2,573 |
| 2016 | 73 | #2,479 |
| 2015 | 93 | #2,088 |
| 2014 | 106 | #1,892 |
| 2013 | 103 | #1,929 |
| 2012 | 148 | #1,503 |
| 2011 | 119 | #1,728 |
| 2010 | 135 | #1,603 |
| 2009 | 199 | #1,241 |
| 2008 | 178 | #1,359 |
| 2007 | 277 | #968 |
| 2006 | 235 | #1,080 |
| 2005 | 142 | #1,479 |
| 2004 | 191 | #1,174 |
| 2003 | 88 | #2,031 |
| 2002 | 71 | #2,285 |
| 2001 | 54 | #2,736 |
| 2000 | 108 | #1,630 |
Names like Kelis
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Myla Ellie Lily Miley Keira Chloe Willow Zara Mia Maisie Ava Freya
Names related to Kelis
Kelsey Kelsie Kelsi Kelsea Kelise Kelsy Kelisha Kelsee Kelsei
More Modern names
Jayden Ailany Kayden Nevaeh Jax Indie Raelynn Kaiden Kehlani Alayna Caden Zayden Wrenley Mya Oaklynn Ailani
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, “Kelis: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kelis, updated 20 October 2026.