Kelly

/ KEL-ee /
girlclassicmodernirishfriendly

“descendant of Ceallach” — Irish

#8682024 rank
1977peak year
473,617babies named Kelly since 1880
▼ 31%5-year trend

Kelly popularity over 145 years

💎 Rare find · roughly undefined% girls / NaN% boys in 2024

peak 197718801920196020002024

What does Kelly mean?

From the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh, meaning 'descendant of Ceallach', a name variously interpreted as 'strife' or 'church'. It crossed into unisex given-name use in the 20th century.

OriginIrish
Syllables2
Gendergirl
Styleclassic, modern

Names like Kelly

Same era, same vibe — if you like Kelly, these usually land on the shortlist too.

Famous Kellys

Spellings & variants

KellieKelley

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