Kelly

Primarily a girl's name · Unisex — 88% girls / 12% boys

Meaning

Kelly is a unisex given name derived from an Anglicized version of the Irish masculine name Ceallach or a transferred use of the Irish surname O'Ceallaigh.

From Wikipedia

Kelly first appears in the data in 1991 and has been recorded in 34 different years as a girl's name. Its single biggest year was 1991 with 587 babies (rank #60 that year). In 2024 it was given to 47 girls (rank #613). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Kelly

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Kelly yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

2Destiny numberThe peacemakerDiplomatic, sensitive, partnership-minded.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
3Soul urgeThe creativeExpressive, sociable, lifted by playful energy.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
8PersonalityThe achieverDriven, capable, comfortable wielding influence.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

8,010

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

587

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Girls

Also a character in

In The Office (US): Kelly Kapoor — customer service

Famous people named Kelly

Kelly Clarksonpop singer · b. 1982
Kelly Prestonfilm actor · b. 1962
Kelly Brookfilm actor · b. 1979
Kelly Macdonaldfilm actor · b. 1976
Kelly Hubeauty pageant contestant · b. 1968

More popular girls' names

Names ranked near Kelly in 2024

Other girls' names starting with K

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all girls' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1991	587	#60
1992	538	#68
1993	523	#66
1994	412	#78
1995	434	#77
1996	390	#84
1997	338	#90
1998	374	#83
1999	275	#105
2000	268	#103
2001	268	#105
2002	273	#100
2003	260	#110
2004	202	#136
2005	213	#135
2006	176	#167
2007	134	#229
2008	121	#272
2009	136	#252
2010	109	#295
2011	103	#320
2012	108	#299
2013	93	#344
2014	75	#435
2015	93	#359
2016	98	#346
2017	91	#362
2018	71	#451
2019	63	#502
2020	68	#437
2021	60	#479
2022	36	#759
2023	37	#750
2024	47	#613