Kelley
- Gender
- Mostly girls
- Say it
- KEL-ee
- Origin
- Irish
- US rank, 2025
- #7,131 for girls
Kelley is a name of Irish origin, meaning “possibly bright-headed, or strife”. In 2025 it ranked 7,131st for girls in the US (15 babies).
What does Kelley mean?
Irish: variant of Kelly, from the Irish surname O Ceallaigh
“possibly bright-headed, or strife”
A spelling of Kelly, from the Irish surname O Ceallaigh, 'descendant of Ceallach'.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kelley a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Kelley has been given to girls and boys, mostly girls. In 2025, it was given to 15 girls and 9 boys in the US.
How popular is Kelley in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #7,131among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 15about 1 in 110,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 40% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 15 girls in the US were named Kelley, making it the 7,131st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,546th. Its busiest year was 1968, with 1,918 girls. It first appears in the records in 1919. 9 boys were also named Kelley in 2025 (8,239th for boys).
2025 had fewer girls named Kelley than any year since 1949.
Half of all the girls named Kelley in the US since 1880 were born between 1966 and 1985, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 378 girls in the US were given Kelley or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #729, up from #7,131 for this spelling alone.
In 1919, 15% of the babies named Kelley in the US were girls. By 2023 it was 55%, with more girls than boys since 1954.
Kelley in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #7,131 |
| 2024 | 17 | #6,639 |
| 2023 | 17 | #6,675 |
| 2022 | 17 | #6,702 |
| 2021 | 20 | #5,951 |
| 2020 | 29 | #4,546 |
| 2019 | 24 | #5,304 |
| 2018 | 29 | #4,660 |
| 2017 | 22 | #5,657 |
| 2016 | 22 | #5,794 |
| 2015 | 28 | #4,852 |
| 2014 | 39 | #3,846 |
| 2013 | 27 | #5,011 |
| 2012 | 46 | #3,463 |
| 2011 | 38 | #3,915 |
| 2010 | 54 | #3,074 |
| 2009 | 54 | #3,125 |
| 2008 | 63 | #2,831 |
| 2007 | 65 | #2,787 |
| 2006 | 89 | #2,165 |
| 2005 | 73 | #2,403 |
| 2004 | 106 | #1,794 |
| 2003 | 129 | #1,508 |
| 2002 | 171 | #1,192 |
| 2001 | 155 | #1,265 |
| 2000 | 206 | #1,019 |
| 1999 | 235 | #900 |
| 1998 | 275 | #782 |
| 1997 | 296 | #723 |
| 1996 | 351 | #639 |
| 1995 | 420 | #555 |
| 1994 | 498 | #498 |
| 1993 | 570 | #439 |
| 1992 | 703 | #364 |
| 1991 | 700 | #368 |
| 1990 | 887 | #308 |
| 1989 | 957 | #281 |
| 1988 | 1,126 | #234 |
| 1987 | 1,196 | #226 |
| 1986 | 1,001 | #258 |
| 1985 | 761 | #315 |
| 1984 | 796 | #298 |
| 1983 | 908 | #265 |
| 1982 | 1,007 | #250 |
| 1981 | 952 | #261 |
| 1980 | 1,084 | #236 |
| 1979 | 1,201 | #217 |
| 1978 | 1,363 | #189 |
| 1977 | 1,502 | #181 |
| 1976 | 1,100 | #220 |
| 1975 | 1,169 | #211 |
| 1974 | 1,208 | #207 |
| 1973 | 1,201 | #212 |
| 1972 | 1,217 | #227 |
| 1971 | 1,287 | #233 |
| 1970 | 1,497 | #212 |
| 1969 | 1,686 | #189 |
| 1968 | 1,918 | #168 |
| 1967 | 1,583 | #202 |
| 1966 | 1,516 | #208 |
| 1965 | 1,461 | #221 |
| 1964 | 1,537 | #221 |
| 1963 | 1,481 | #224 |
| 1962 | 1,311 | #243 |
| 1961 | 1,250 | #249 |
| 1960 | 1,004 | #289 |
| 1959 | 817 | #331 |
| 1958 | 650 | #362 |
| 1957 | 291 | #562 |
| 1956 | 159 | #781 |
| 1955 | 90 | #1,061 |
| 1954 | 73 | #1,163 |
| 1953 | 46 | #1,438 |
| 1952 | 52 | #1,332 |
| 1951 | 36 | #1,582 |
| 1950 | 23 | #2,001 |
| 1949 | 12 | #2,998 |
| 1948 | 12 | #2,973 |
| 1947 | 9 | #3,704 |
| 1946 | 5 | #4,958 |
| 1945 | 13 | #2,457 |
| 1944 | 6 | #4,052 |
| 1943 | 7 | #3,800 |
| 1942 | 7 | #3,736 |
| 1941 | 5 | #4,418 |
| 1940 | 5 | #4,347 |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,973 |
| 1919 | 6 | #4,249 |
Names like Kelley
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Casey Keely Ashley Bridget Keeley Cassidy Kelsey Brenna Erin Kimberly Regan Heidi
Other spellings of Kelley
Names related to Kelley
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Ronan Connor Declan Kennedy Callan
Sources
Figures from 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, “Kelley: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kelley, updated 20 October 2026.