unisex name
Kelley
KEL-ee
- Origin Irish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 52,767
Ireland
#587
2003 births
Kelley is the same Irish name as Kellie, spelled differently, and the two split its births between them — this one peaked in 1968 and that one in 1969, a year apart at nearly the same size.
- Kelley is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 1968, when 2,086 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 138,141 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Kelley started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kelley over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 29 |
| 1890s | 32 |
| 1900s | 81 |
| 1910s | 250 |
| 1920s | 314 |
| 1930s | 233 |
| 1940s | 440 |
| 1950s | 3,128 |
| 1960s | 16,117 |
| 1970s | 13,804 |
| 1980s | 10,583 |
| 1990s | 5,352 |
| 2000s | 1,332 |
| 2010s | 498 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 192 |
What Kelley means
Kelley means bright-headed, or strife, or church-going. The Irish original has three competing derivations and none of them has established itself. The three readings compete rather than combine, and no source settles between them.
Where Kelley comes from
Kelley anglicizes Ó Ceallaigh, descendant of Ceallach, whose root is disputed between bright-headed, contention, and one who frequents churches — the last from cell, a church, taken from the Latin cella. The O'Kellys of Uí Maine held territory across Galway and Roscommon. As a given name it is American and twentieth-century, and about 88 percent of the births in our records are female, against a surname that was of course borne by both.
Kelley in use
Kelley peaked in the United States in 1968, when 2,086 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 7207th in the United States on 24 births, across 52,767 lifetime births. Kellie, written up separately, peaked a year later at 2,659 births, so the two spellings ran almost in step.
How popular is Kelley?
In 2025, Kelley was given to 24 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Kelley 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 Kelley
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kelley also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kelley over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Kelley in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Kelly
Sibling names for Kelley
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kelley — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kelley
What does the name Kelley mean?
Unsettled — bright-headed, strife and church-going are all argued for the Irish Ceallach.
How is it different from Kellie?
Only in spelling. The two peaked a year apart and split the name's births.
Is Kelley a girls' name?
About 88 percent of the births in our records are female.
Who were the O'Kellys?
The Uí Maine family, holding land across Galway and Roscommon.
How popular is the name Kelley?
In 2025, Kelley was given to 24 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
How many syllables are in Kelley?
Kelley has 2 syllables.
When was Kelley most popular?
Kelley peaked in 1968, when 2,086 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Kelley a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kelley currently ranks #7,207 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.