unisex name
Kelby
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 5,719
Kelby is a unisex name with 2 syllables. It is given to both girls and boys — about 28% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 32 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 1991, when 277 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 103,605 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1948.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kelby over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 10 |
| 1950s | 63 |
| 1960s | 86 |
| 1970s | 501 |
| 1980s | 752 |
| 1990s | 1,979 |
| 2000s | 1,298 |
| 2010s | 679 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 214 |
How popular is Kelby?
In 2025, Kelby was given to 32 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Kelby is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Kelby
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kelby also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kelby over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Kelby
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kelby — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kelby
How popular is the name Kelby?
In 2025, Kelby was given to 32 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Kelby a girl's or a boy's name?
Kelby is used for both girls and boys. About 28% of recorded births with this name are girls.
How many syllables are in Kelby?
Kelby has 2 syllables.
When was Kelby most popular?
Kelby peaked in 1991, when 277 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Kelby a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kelby currently ranks #5,227 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.