Kelly
Mostly girls · KEL-ee · Irish
Kelly is a name of Irish origin. In 2025 it ranked 2,076th for girls in the UK (14 babies) and 851st for girls in the US (319 babies).
What does Kelly mean?
Irish: from the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh
From the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh, descendant of Ceallach, an old name of disputed meaning.
- Say it
- KEL-ee
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kelly a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Kelly has been given to girls and boys, mostly girls. In 2025, it was given to 14 girls in the UK and 319 girls and 84 boys in the US.
How popular is Kelly in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,076among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 14about 1 in 20,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 29% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 14 girls in the UK were named Kelly, making it the 2,076th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,286th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 879 girls.
2025 had the fewest girls named Kelly since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Kelly in the UK since 1996 were born between 1997 and 2004. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2023, 73% of the babies named Kelly in the UK were girls.
Among girls in 2025, it was 2,006th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1974 (#47), 1984 (#15) and 1994 (#53).
Kelly in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #2,076 |
| 2024 | 21 | #1,538 |
| 2023 | 16 | #1,873 |
| 2022 | 28 | #1,248 |
| 2021 | 25 | #1,353 |
| 2020 | 27 | #1,286 |
| 2019 | 21 | #1,531 |
| 2018 | 24 | #1,420 |
| 2017 | 35 | #1,079 |
| 2016 | 41 | #956 |
| 2015 | 33 | #1,132 |
| 2014 | 54 | #779 |
| 2013 | 49 | #829 |
| 2012 | 68 | #673 |
| 2011 | 69 | #636 |
| 2010 | 77 | #572 |
| 2009 | 99 | #460 |
| 2008 | 110 | #432 |
| 2007 | 103 | #439 |
| 2006 | 149 | #324 |
| 2005 | 142 | #322 |
| 2004 | 209 | #240 |
| 2003 | 232 | #220 |
| 2002 | 226 | #215 |
| 2001 | 290 | #165 |
| 2000 | 306 | #164 |
| 1999 | 349 | #148 |
| 1998 | 434 | #123 |
| 1997 | 706 | #85 |
| 1996 | 879 | #74 |
How popular is Kelly in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #851among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 319about 1 in 5,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 24% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 319 girls in the US were named Kelly, making it the 851st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 745th. Its busiest year was 1977, with 18,234 girls. It first appears in the records in 1907. 84 boys were also named Kelly in 2025 (1,867th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Kelly in the US since 1880 were born between 1968 and 1986, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 378 girls in the US were given Kelly or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #729, up from #851 for this spelling alone.
In 1907, 15% of the babies named Kelly in the US were girls. By 2025 it was 79%, with more girls than boys since 1957.
Kelly in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 319 | #851 |
| 2024 | 312 | #867 |
| 2023 | 362 | #779 |
| 2022 | 347 | #808 |
| 2021 | 324 | #850 |
| 2020 | 366 | #745 |
| 2019 | 448 | #652 |
| 2018 | 486 | #618 |
| 2017 | 504 | #597 |
| 2016 | 605 | #515 |
| 2015 | 675 | #480 |
| 2014 | 740 | #432 |
| 2013 | 849 | #368 |
| 2012 | 892 | #357 |
| 2011 | 944 | #336 |
| 2010 | 1,061 | #306 |
| 2009 | 1,251 | #261 |
| 2008 | 1,399 | #248 |
| 2007 | 1,569 | #222 |
| 2006 | 1,611 | #212 |
| 2005 | 1,952 | #175 |
| 2004 | 2,357 | #138 |
| 2003 | 2,736 | #125 |
| 2002 | 2,852 | #119 |
| 2001 | 2,814 | #124 |
| 2000 | 3,077 | #111 |
| 1999 | 3,420 | #95 |
| 1998 | 3,703 | #89 |
| 1997 | 4,064 | #83 |
| 1996 | 4,734 | #73 |
| 1995 | 5,398 | #64 |
| 1994 | 5,446 | #62 |
| 1993 | 6,295 | #51 |
| 1992 | 7,012 | #47 |
| 1991 | 7,515 | #42 |
| 1990 | 8,137 | #41 |
| 1989 | 8,759 | #37 |
| 1988 | 8,917 | #32 |
| 1987 | 9,866 | #30 |
| 1986 | 10,411 | #29 |
| 1985 | 11,031 | #28 |
| 1984 | 11,216 | #27 |
| 1983 | 11,586 | #26 |
| 1982 | 12,170 | #25 |
| 1981 | 11,873 | #23 |
| 1980 | 13,710 | #19 |
| 1979 | 15,296 | #16 |
| 1978 | 16,976 | #12 |
| 1977 | 18,234 | #10 |
| 1976 | 11,791 | #19 |
| 1975 | 11,735 | #16 |
| 1974 | 10,851 | #15 |
| 1973 | 10,512 | #18 |
| 1972 | 10,944 | #23 |
| 1971 | 12,599 | #22 |
| 1970 | 14,607 | #20 |
| 1969 | 16,328 | #15 |
| 1968 | 17,138 | #12 |
| 1967 | 13,717 | #23 |
| 1966 | 13,242 | #26 |
| 1965 | 12,763 | #30 |
| 1964 | 12,470 | #35 |
| 1963 | 12,550 | #32 |
| 1962 | 11,530 | #38 |
| 1961 | 9,642 | #45 |
| 1960 | 8,673 | #52 |
| 1959 | 6,380 | #74 |
| 1958 | 4,471 | #108 |
| 1957 | 1,903 | #187 |
| 1956 | 830 | #309 |
| 1955 | 539 | #379 |
| 1954 | 453 | #405 |
| 1953 | 226 | #589 |
| 1952 | 296 | #489 |
| 1951 | 163 | #682 |
| 1950 | 97 | #899 |
| 1949 | 117 | #803 |
| 1948 | 83 | #954 |
| 1947 | 73 | #1,037 |
| 1946 | 51 | #1,207 |
| 1945 | 51 | #1,099 |
| 1944 | 60 | #1,005 |
| 1943 | 36 | #1,366 |
| 1942 | 36 | #1,349 |
| 1941 | 28 | #1,472 |
| 1940 | 24 | #1,591 |
| 1939 | 10 | #2,734 |
| 1938 | 18 | #1,873 |
| 1937 | 14 | #2,196 |
| 1936 | 13 | #2,262 |
| 1935 | 13 | #2,304 |
| 1934 | 11 | #2,566 |
| 1933 | 12 | #2,403 |
| 1932 | 14 | #2,234 |
| 1931 | 9 | #2,970 |
| 1930 | 13 | #2,424 |
| 1929 | 11 | #2,736 |
| 1928 | 11 | #2,766 |
| 1927 | 10 | #3,051 |
| 1926 | 12 | #2,707 |
| 1925 | 15 | #2,377 |
| 1924 | 10 | #3,143 |
| 1923 | 10 | #3,124 |
| 1922 | 13 | #2,611 |
| 1921 | 15 | #2,378 |
| 1920 | 11 | #2,899 |
| 1919 | 8 | #3,450 |
| 1918 | 14 | #2,375 |
| 1917 | 8 | #3,342 |
| 1916 | 9 | #3,029 |
| 1915 | 5 | #4,272 |
| 1914 | 11 | #2,125 |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 7 | #2,359 |
| 1911 | 5 | #2,463 |
| 1910 | 6 | #2,140 |
| 1909 | 7 | #1,763 |
| 1908 | 5 | #2,101 |
| 1907 | 5 | #2,060 |
Names like Kelly
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Keira Cassidy Holly Erin Kennedy Caragh Molly Raegan Teagan Casey Ffion Caoimhe
Other spellings of Kelly
Names related to Kelly
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