unisex name
Kelly
KEL-ee
- Origin Irish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 604,304
the United States
#851
2025 births
Kelly is a name from the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh, borne almost entirely by men for most of its history and now 86 percent female in our data. It is one of the most complete gender switches we record.
- Kelly is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 1968, when 20,197 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 8,227 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Kelly started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kelly 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 | 119 |
| 1890s | 142 |
| 1900s | 223 |
| 1910s | 956 |
| 1920s | 1,394 |
| 1930s | 1,421 |
| 1940s | 3,423 |
| 1950s | 28,492 |
| 1960s | 156,059 |
| 1970s | 150,866 |
| 1980s | 119,313 |
| 1990s | 59,862 |
| 2000s | 23,158 |
| 2010s | 8,274 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,663 |
What Kelly means
Kelly means descendant of Ceallach, an Irish personal name usually given as bright-headed or, in a competing reading, strife. The surname names a family rather than describing a quality.
Where Kelly comes from
Kelly anglicizes Ó Ceallaigh, descendant of Ceallach, and it is among the most common surnames in Ireland. Ceallach itself is disputed: bright-headed and war or strife are both proposed, and the two could hardly be further apart. As a given name it began as a boys' name in the American pattern of using Irish surnames for sons, and it switched decisively to girls through the mid twentieth century — a change our female-share figure captures at 86 percent, well past the point where a name reads as unisex. Grace Kelly's marriage to Rainier of Monaco in 1956 sits shortly before the steepest part of that change.
Kelly in use
Kelly peaked in the United States in 1968, when 20,197 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 640th in France on 70 births, 823rd in Scotland, 851st in the United States on 403 and 2034th in England and Wales, across 604,304 lifetime births. About 86 percent of recorded births are female, so although the name is still technically unisex, it has moved almost entirely across from where it started.
How popular is Kelly?
In 2025, Kelly was given to 403 babies in the United States, ranking #851 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Kelly 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.
How Kelly is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Kélly | Kélly is a rare spelling of Kelly, written with an acute accent and recorded about 20 times, mostly in France. | 20 |
Names that peaked alongside Kelly
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kelly also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kelly over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Kelly 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.
Sibling names for Kelly
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kelly — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kelly
What does the name Kelly mean?
Descendant of Ceallach — an Irish name read as either bright-headed or strife.
Is Kelly a boys' or girls' name?
It began as a boys' name and is now 86 percent female in our data — one of the most complete switches we record.
Is Kelly an Irish name?
Yes, from Ó Ceallaigh, one of the most common Irish surnames.
How popular is Kelly?
851st in the United States, down from a 1968 peak of 20,197 births.
How many syllables are in Kelly?
Kelly has 2 syllables.
Is Kelly a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kelly currently ranks #610 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.