Kelly
Girl nameKelly has been given to 556,365 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1968 and currently ranks #852 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈkɛli/
Borrowed from Irish Ó Ceallaigh. Doublet of Kellogg and Callahan.
Origin: surnames
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
556,365
Peak year
1968 (20,197 babies)
Rank in 2025
#852 for girls
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -48%
Gender split
85% girls / 15% boys
Famous people named Kelly
Kelly Clarkson
American singer-songwriter (born 1982)
Kelly Preston
American actress (1962–2020)
Kelly Brook
British actress and model
Kelly Macdonald
Scottish actress
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Kelly.
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