Kelly
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Meaning
from the Irish surname O Ceallaigh, traditionally 'bright-headed'
Famously borne by Kelly Sildaru, who won X Games gold at thirteen. Carried by Cantopop mainstay Kelly Chen.
The story
Kelly is the Irish surname O Ceallaigh, traditionally read as bright-headed, and its run as an American girls' name is one of the great mid-century stories. Present at trace levels from the 1890s, it accelerates sharply after mid-century and holds its peak band across the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, three full decades at the top of its game, with Grace Kelly's serene stardom occupying the years just before the surge. Kelly was the surname-name revolution arriving early: brisk, friendly, unmistakably Irish without a single fada to explain. It has stepped down slowly ever since, which only sharpens its identity; today the name points straight at the mid-century decades it owned, unmistakable the moment it is said. The surname behind it is still one of Ireland's most common, which gives the sound a floor no fashion cycle reaches.
How popular is Kelly around the world?
In the United States, 2,663 babies were named Kelly between 2020 and 2025. At the 2022 census, 118,991 people in Brazil were named Kelly, the 275th most common name, with a median age of 34.
Kelly is on the official records of the United States, Brazil, Mexico City, Canada, France, Montevideo, Scotland, South Australia, Chile, England and Wales, Argentina, Spain and Austria.
United States
1 in 8,200
In the United States, 2,663 babies were named Kelly between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Kelly peaked in the 1960s and the 1980s in nearly equal measure. In US birth records, Kelly went mostly to boys before the 1950s and mostly to girls in every decade since.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Brazil
1 in 1,700
At the 2022 census, 118,991 people in Brazil were named Kelly, the 275th most common name, with a median age of 34.
Among people named Kelly living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 986 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Mexico City City
1 in 5,600
In Mexico City, there were 21 registrations of Kelly in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (1 registration through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Canada
1 in 6,100
In Canada, 47 girls named Kelly were born in 2024, the 608th most common name among girls that year.
In Canada, 13 boys named Kelly were born in 2024, ranked 1,614th among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
France
1 in 9,200
In France, about 65 girls named Kelly were born in 2025, the 633rd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Montevideo City
1 in 12,0002011
In Montevideo, 2 girls named Kelly were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Scotland
1 in 15,000
In Scotland, 3 girls named Kelly were registered in 2024, the 790th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 girl was registered as Kelly in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Chile
1 in 36,000
In Chile, 5 girls were registered as Kelly in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
England and Wales
1 in 42,000
In England and Wales, 14 girls named Kelly were born in 2025, ranked 2,006th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Argentina
1 in 44,000
In Argentina, 15 newborns were given the name Kelly in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Spain
1 in 52,000
In Spain, 780 residents are named Kelly, ranked 1,737th among women, with a mean age of 32.2 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Austria
1 in 76,000
In Austria, 1 girl named Kelly was born in 2025, ranked 1,875th among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Ireland
last on record 2023
Kelly is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
New South Wales
outside the top 100
Kelly is not in the 2025 top 100 for New South Wales.
share of that year’s top-100 registrations
New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names
New Zealand
last on record 2020
Kelly is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Norway
last on record 2019
Kelly is not on the 2025 record for Norway, where names carried by fewer than 4 people in a year are withheld at source.
share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
Poland
last on record 2016
Kelly is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
Puerto Rico
last on record 2013
Kelly is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 163 babies have carried the name there since 1998.
share of that year’s births on record
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
When you meet Kelly
Most people given the name Kelly in the United States were born between 1960 and 1989. The Kelly you meet today is most often in her 40s or 50s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Kelly travels
Irish American · A warm Irish American heritage surname-name used for girls and boys alike.
Cantonese and Hong Kong · A popular English name in Hong Kong, carried by Cantopop singer Kelly Chen.
Keep exploring
English-Brazilian names · Irish American baby names · Cantonese and Hong Kong baby names · Names that switched sides
The Kelly deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Kelly truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Kelly fits with your family’s names and surname.
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