Kelly
#851 for girls in 2025, 319 births · #1,867 for boys in 2025, 84 births
Given to girls 85.2% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 1977 · 18,234 births
- Debut · girls
- 5 births
- In top 100 · girls
- 41 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 473,965since 1907
Kelly over time
Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #851 | 319 | #1,867 | 84 |
| 2024 | #867 | 312 | #1,583 | 109 |
| 2023 | #779 | 362 | #1,744 | 94 |
| 2022 | #808 | 347 | #1,479 | 122 |
| 2021 | #850 | 324 | #1,538 | 114 |
| 2020 | #745 | 366 | #1,518 | 110 |
| 2019 | #652 | 448 | #1,564 | 107 |
| 2018 | #618 | 486 | #1,593 | 103 |
| 2017 | #597 | 504 | #1,467 | 115 |
| 2016 | #515 | 605 | #1,456 | 118 |
| 2015 | #480 | 675 | #1,555 | 104 |
| 2014 | #432 | 740 | #1,526 | 105 |
| 2013 | #368 | 849 | #1,540 | 103 |
| 2012 | #357 | 892 | #1,514 | 106 |
| 2011 | #336 | 944 | #1,495 | 108 |
| 2010 | #306 | 1,061 | #1,565 | 101 |
| 2009 | #261 | 1,251 | #1,257 | 140 |
| 2008 | #248 | 1,399 | #1,452 | 113 |
| 2007 | #222 | 1,569 | #1,152 | 154 |
| 2006 | #212 | 1,611 | #1,202 | 139 |
| 2005 | #175 | 1,952 | #1,245 | 127 |
| 2004 | #138 | 2,357 | #1,022 | 160 |
| 2003 | #125 | 2,736 | #1,060 | 146 |
| 2002 | #119 | 2,852 | #884 | 185 |
| 2001 | #124 | 2,814 | #902 | 174 |
| 2000 | #111 | 3,077 | #799 | 202 |
| 1999 | #95 | 3,420 | #786 | 195 |
| 1998 | #89 | 3,703 | #696 | 240 |
| 1997 | #83 | 4,064 | #616 | 284 |
| 1996 | #73 | 4,734 | #551 | 339 |
| 1995 | #64 | 5,398 | #534 | 357 |
| 1994 | #62 | 5,446 | #513 | 385 |
| 1993 | #51 | 6,295 | #455 | 475 |
| 1992 | #47 | 7,012 | #417 | 534 |
| 1991 | #42 | 7,515 | #367 | 642 |
| 1990 | #41 | 8,137 | #351 | 687 |
| 1989 | #37 | 8,759 | #299 | 811 |
| 1988 | #32 | 8,917 | #307 | 740 |
| 1987 | #30 | 9,866 | #280 | 786 |
| 1986 | #29 | 10,411 | #255 | 873 |
| 1985 | #28 | 11,031 | #254 | 890 |
| 1984 | #27 | 11,216 | #228 | 985 |
| 1983 | #26 | 11,586 | #217 | 1,055 |
| 1982 | #25 | 12,170 | #197 | 1,270 |
| 1981 | #23 | 11,873 | #209 | 1,181 |
| 1980 | #19 | 13,710 | #210 | 1,183 |
| 1979 | #16 | 15,296 | #199 | 1,208 |
| 1978 | #12 | 16,976 | #180 | 1,308 |
| 1977 | #10 | 18,234 | #162 | 1,484 |
| 1976 | #19 | 11,791 | #158 | 1,540 |
| 1975 | #16 | 11,735 | #150 | 1,644 |
| 1974 | #15 | 10,851 | #143 | 1,758 |
| 1973 | #18 | 10,512 | #146 | 1,702 |
| 1972 | #23 | 10,944 | #140 | 1,917 |
| 1971 | #22 | 12,599 | #136 | 2,266 |
| 1970 | #20 | 14,607 | #135 | 2,494 |
| 1969 | #15 | 16,328 | #115 | 2,791 |
| 1968 | #12 | 17,138 | #97 | 3,059 |
| 1967 | #23 | 13,717 | #102 | 3,093 |
| 1966 | #26 | 13,242 | #111 | 2,784 |
| 1965 | #30 | 12,763 | #136 | 2,258 |
| 1964 | #35 | 12,470 | #132 | 2,492 |
| 1963 | #32 | 12,550 | #126 | 2,729 |
| 1962 | #38 | 11,530 | #125 | 2,855 |
| 1961 | #45 | 9,642 | #125 | 3,011 |
| 1960 | #52 | 8,673 | #128 | 2,934 |
| 1959 | #74 | 6,380 | #143 | 2,438 |
| 1958 | #108 | 4,471 | #148 | 2,299 |
| 1957 | #187 | 1,903 | #167 | 1,875 |
| 1956 | #309 | 830 | #190 | 1,468 |
| 1955 | #380 | 539 | #204 | 1,250 |
| 1954 | #406 | 453 | #224 | 965 |
| 1953 | #590 | 226 | #232 | 845 |
| 1952 | #490 | 296 | #235 | 805 |
| 1951 | #683 | 163 | #252 | 701 |
| 1950 | #900 | 97 | #307 | 488 |
| 1949 | #804 | 117 | #299 | 510 |
| 1948 | #955 | 83 | #346 | 379 |
| 1947 | #1,038 | 73 | #368 | 351 |
| 1946 | #1,208 | 51 | #389 | 283 |
| 1945 | #1,100 | 51 | #385 | 240 |
| 1944 | #1,005 | 60 | #363 | 275 |
| 1943 | #1,367 | 36 | #369 | 275 |
| 1942 | #1,349 | 36 | #385 | 249 |
| 1941 | #1,472 | 28 | #470 | 160 |
| 1940 | #1,591 | 24 | #483 | 142 |
| 1939 | #2,736 | 10 | #466 | 153 |
| 1938 | #1,873 | 18 | #495 | 137 |
| 1937 | #2,196 | 14 | #513 | 126 |
| 1936 | #2,263 | 13 | #480 | 138 |
| 1935 | #2,305 | 13 | #514 | 125 |
| 1934 | #2,567 | 11 | #471 | 144 |
| 1933 | #2,404 | 12 | #515 | 120 |
| 1932 | #2,235 | 14 | #579 | 105 |
| 1931 | #2,972 | 9 | #506 | 129 |
| 1930 | #2,425 | 13 | #556 | 117 |
| 1929 | #2,737 | 11 | #494 | 141 |
| 1928 | #2,768 | 11 | #537 | 128 |
| 1927 | #3,053 | 10 | #532 | 132 |
| 1926 | #2,708 | 12 | #548 | 123 |
| 1925 | #2,378 | 15 | #562 | 121 |
| 1924 | #3,144 | 10 | #568 | 125 |
| 1923 | #3,125 | 10 | #600 | 111 |
| 1922 | #2,612 | 13 | #520 | 141 |
| 1921 | #2,378 | 15 | #541 | 133 |
| 1920 | #2,899 | 11 | #566 | 121 |
| 1919 | #3,452 | 8 | #496 | 144 |
| 1918 | #2,376 | 14 | #552 | 118 |
| 1917 | #3,344 | 8 | #501 | 131 |
| 1916 | #3,031 | 9 | #615 | 90 |
| 1915 | #4,274 | 5 | #562 | 101 |
| 1914 | #2,125 | 11 | #508 | 92 |
| 1913 | — | #545 | 63 | |
| 1912 | #2,360 | 7 | #521 | 57 |
| 1911 | #2,463 | 5 | #457 | 41 |
| 1910 | #2,140 | 6 | #383 | 46 |
| 1909 | #1,763 | 7 | #505 | 26 |
| 1908 | #2,101 | 5 | #499 | 25 |
| 1907 | #2,061 | 5 | #429 | 29 |
| 1906 | — | #503 | 20 | |
| 1905 | — | #741 | 11 | |
| 1904 | — | #647 | 13 | |
| 1903 | — | #451 | 21 | |
| 1902 | — | #536 | 16 | |
| 1901 | — | #596 | 12 | |
| 1900 | — | #385 | 33 | |
| 1899 | — | #714 | 9 | |
| 1898 | — | #701 | 10 | |
| 1897 | — | #515 | 15 | |
| 1896 | — | #551 | 14 | |
| 1895 | — | #399 | 23 | |
| 1894 | — | #594 | 12 | |
| 1893 | — | #391 | 21 | |
| 1892 | — | #458 | 18 | |
| 1891 | — | #635 | 9 | |
| 1890 | — | #603 | 11 | |
| 1889 | — | #446 | 17 | |
| 1888 | — | #648 | 10 | |
| 1887 | — | #488 | 13 | |
| 1886 | — | #451 | 16 | |
| 1885 | — | #480 | 15 | |
| 1884 | — | #613 | 10 | |
| 1883 | — | #527 | 12 | |
| 1882 | — | #514 | 13 | |
| 1881 | — | #653 | 8 | |
| 1880 | — | #909 | 5 | |
The first year at least five girls were named Kelly! It came in at #2,061, and was given to 5 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1913, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.
Where Kelly is popular in 1939
No state had 5 or more girls named Kelly in 1939, so the SSA doesn't publish it for any state.
See more about Kelly
- 16 spots since 2024 (#867 → #851)
- 106 spots since 2020 (#745 → #851)
- 371 spots since 2015 (#480 → #851)
- Biggest jump: 217 spots in 1951 (#900 → #683)
- Biggest drop: 105 spots in 2021 (#745 → #850)
- Debuted 1907
- Peaked 1977 at #10 (18,234 births)
- Births halved by 1988, 11 yrs later
- Top 10: 1 yr · 1977
- Top 100: 41 yrs · run 1959–1999
- Top 1,000: 78 yrs · run 1948–2025
- Highest: 1 in 84 girls born in 1977 were named Kelly (1.2%)
- Latest: 1 in 5,038 girls born in 2025 (0.02%)
- 28.2% of all girls named Kelly (133,545) were born in this decade
- Mostly boys until 1956, mostly girls since
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 17 | #1,763 (1909) | #1,975 |
| 1910s | 73 | #2,125 (1914) | #2,841 |
| 1920s | 118 | #2,378 (1921) | #2,780 |
| 1930s | 127 | #1,873 (1938) | #2,398 |
| 1940s | 559 | #804 (1949) | #1,189 |
| 1950s | 15,358 | #74 (1959) | #413 |
| 1960s | 128,053 | #12 (1968) | #31 |
| 1970s | 133,545 | #10 (1977) | #17 |
| 1980s | 109,539 | #19 (1980) | #28 |
| 1990s | 55,724 | #41 (1990) | #65 |
| 2000s | 21,618 | #111 (2000) | #174 |
| 2010s | 7,204 | #306 (2010) | #466 |
| 2020s | 2,030 | #745 (2020) | #817 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Kelly in 1939
Top girls' names in 1939
Top boys' names in 1939
More about 1939
girls
1,096,612 girls got a published name in 1939; 1 in 109,661 of them was named Kelly, which outranked 44.7% of the 4,950 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
- #2,592Waunita11
- #2,592Wyoma11
- #2,592Yetta11
- #2,736Kelly10
- #2,736Adda10
- #2,736Adline10
- #2,736Adria10
- #2,922Adaline9
- #2,922Aleda9
- #2,922Alfreida9
Tied with 185 names at #2,736; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,106,852 boys got a published name in 1939; 1 in 7,234 of them was named Kelly, which outranked 88.3% of the 3,968 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).