Kelly Name Meaning, Popularity and Origins
Origin:
Irish
Gender Distribution:
15% Masculine / 85% Feminine
Meaning:
Kelly means 'warrior' or 'bright-headed' in Gaelic.
Meaning of the Name Kelly
Kelly is an Irish name that originated from the Gaelic word ‘ceallach’ which means ‘warrior’ or ‘bright-headed’. It is a unisex name and can be used for both boys and girls. It became popular as a first name in the 20th century and is commonly used in English-speaking countries.
Popularity of the Name Kelly
The popularity for the name Kelly peaked in popularity in the year 1977 with 18,234 births, which ranked number 27 out of 16,561 unique names for that year. Kelly had the most female births in 1977 with 18,234, which ranked number 10 out of 11,328 female names for that year, and had the most male births in 1967 with 3,099, which ranked number 102 out of 4,552 male names for that year. The number of births for the name Kelly has declined sharply over the last ten years from 997 births to 468 births, a decline of -53.06%. Among males, Kelly has increased sharply in popularity over the last ten years from 106 births to 122 births, an increase of 15.09%. Among females, Kelly has declined sharply in popularity over the last ten years from 891 births to 346 births, a decline of -61.17%.
Nationwide Popularity of Kelly
- 20 Year Trend of Kelly: -84.59%
- 10 Year Trend of Kelly: -53.06%
- 10 Year Male Trend of Kelly: 15.09%
- 10 Year Female Trend of Kelly: -61.17%
Popularity of Kelly by State
For males, Kelly was most popular in Western states with 22 births in the region. It was most commonly seen in FL, with 14 male births. Among females, Kelly was most popular in Northeastern states with 80 births in the region. It was most commonly used in CA, with 42 female births. See below for a full state by state breakdown of the name Kelly. States with less than five births recorded will not be shown.
| State | Male Births | Male Gender Rank | Female Births | Female Gender Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | < 5 | N/A | 5 | 853 |
| AZ | < 5 | N/A | 9 | 688 |
| CA | 11 | 1534 | 42 | 775 |
| FL | 14 | 952 | 30 | 588 |
| GA | < 5 | N/A | 9 | 981 |
| IL | < 5 | N/A | 8 | 1038 |
| MD | < 5 | N/A | 10 | 548 |
| MI | < 5 | N/A | 6 | 1061 |
| MO | 5 | 862 | < 5 | N/A |
| NC | < 5 | N/A | 13 | 717 |
| NJ | < 5 | N/A | 17 | 473 |
| NY | 6 | 1587 | 34 | 498 |
| OH | 6 | 1137 | 10 | 871 |
| OK | 5 | 674 | 5 | 703 |
| PA | < 5 | N/A | 19 | 554 |
| TN | < 5 | N/A | 10 | 695 |
| TX | 12 | 1484 | 40 | 791 |
| UT | 5 | 673 | < 5 | N/A |
| VA | < 5 | N/A | 10 | 733 |
| WA | 6 | 887 | 12 | 541 |
2024 Popularity Projections for Kelly
- Total Births of Kelly: 434 (-7.28%)
- Male Births of Kelly: 124 (1.42%)
- Female Births of Kelly: 315 (-9.03%)
Given the downward trend of Kelly over the last 10 years, we expect this to continue in 2024 with roughly a -7.28% decrease in total births, for a total of 434 births in 2024. Male births for Kelly have been increasing over the past decade, so we anticipate roughly 124 male births in 2024, an increase of 1.42%. For Females, births for Kelly have been decreasing over the past 10 years, and we expect roughly 315 female births in 2024, a decrease of -9.03%.