NameTides

Kelly

Kelly was the #851 girls' name in the US in 2025 (319 babies), and #2,006 in England & Wales and #966 in Canada.

Kelly as a girl’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
  • NSW
Kelly as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada, NSWBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.0510152018801900192019401960198020002020USCanadaEngland & Wales
Kelly as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada, NSWBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.051015201880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. New South Wales publishes its top 100 only, so it appears in the rank view and only in years the name made the top 100. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesScotlandNorthern IrelandIrelandCanadaNSW
2025#851 (319)#2,006 (14)———#966 (28)—
2024#867 (312)#1,672 (18)#790 (3)——#621 (47)—
2023#779 (362)#1,774 (16)——#404 (9)#729 (38)—
2022#808 (347)#1,215 (27)——#634 (5)#722 (38)—
2021#850 (324)#1,505 (20)—#446 (3)#464 (8)#491 (60)—
2020#745 (366)#1,352 (23)#636 (4)—#444 (8)#440 (68)—
2019#652 (448)#1,782 (16)—#424 (3)#395 (10)#480 (67)—
2018#618 (486)#1,436 (22)——#629 (5)#436 (74)—
2017#597 (504)#1,105 (31)#666 (4)—#430 (9)#331 (99)—
2016#515 (605)#955 (38)#798 (3)—#419 (10)#350 (98)—
2015#480 (675)#1,114 (31)——#378 (12)#359 (94)—
2014#432 (740)#877 (43)#477 (7)#365 (4)#353 (13)#430 (76)—
2013#368 (849)#854 (44)#564 (5)—#286 (17)#330 (99)—
2012#357 (892)#701 (59)—#268 (7)#213 (26)#295 (111)—
2011#336 (944)#652 (61)#674 (4)#363 (4)#181 (33)#309 (107)—

Kelly as a boy’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
Kelly as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020CanadaUS
Kelly as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.511.521880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesScotlandIrelandCanada
2025#1,867 (84)———#2,095 (9)
2024#1,583 (109)———#1,583 (13)
2023#1,744 (94)#3,524 (5)——#2,123 (8)
2022#1,479 (122)#3,049 (6)——#1,284 (16)
2021#1,538 (114)#3,451 (5)——#2,061 (8)
2020#1,518 (110)———#1,595 (11)
2019#1,564 (107)#4,702 (3)——#1,448 (13)
2018#1,593 (103)#3,011 (6)——#1,389 (13)
2017#1,467 (115)#3,449 (5)——#1,510 (12)
2016#1,456 (118)———#1,423 (13)
2015#1,555 (104)———#1,577 (11)
2014#1,526 (105)#3,362 (5)——#1,381 (13)
2013#1,540 (103)#2,660 (7)——#1,771 (9)
2012#1,514 (106)#2,721 (7)——#1,781 (9)
2011#1,495 (108)#3,300 (5)——#1,802 (9)

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 1977 at #10.
  • Holding steady over the last five years.
  • First recorded in the US in 1907.
  • In 2025, 79% of US babies named Kelly were girls.

How common is it?

about 1 in 5,100 baby girls in the published US list for 2025.

In a group of 1,000 children born that year, you would expect to meet fewer than 1. How we work this out.

How common, country by country

WhereSexLatest yearShareVerdict
USGirls2025about 1 in 5,100uncommon
England & WalesGirls2025about 1 in 18,000rare
CanadaGirls2025about 1 in 5,300uncommon
USBoys2025about 1 in 20,000rare
CanadaBoys2025about 1 in 18,000rare

Next year

On its recent trend, Kelly is likely to hold steady in the US in 2026: about 1 in 5,000 baby girls. Likely range 1 in 4,300 to 1 in 5,800.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Kelly by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: fewer than 5 babiesWIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: #811WAIdaho: fewer than 5 babiesIDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 babiesMNIllinois: #927ILMichigan: fewer than 5 babiesMINew York: #462NYMassachusetts: #444MAOregon: fewer than 5 babiesORNevada: fewer than 5 babiesNVWyoming: fewer than 5 babiesWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: fewer than 5 babiesIAIndiana: #916INOhio: fewer than 5 babiesOHPennsylvania: #1,015PANew Jersey: #939NJConnecticut: #459CTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #675CAUtah: fewer than 5 babiesUTColorado: fewer than 5 babiesCONebraska: fewer than 5 babiesNEMissouri: fewer than 5 babiesMOKentucky: fewer than 5 babiesKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: #704VAMaryland: #459MDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: #818AZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: fewer than 5 babiesKSArkansas: fewer than 5 babiesARTennessee: #748TNNorth Carolina: #1,138NCSouth Carolina: #560SCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 babiesDCOklahoma: #546OKLouisiana: fewer than 5 babiesLAMississippi: fewer than 5 babiesMSAlabama: fewer than 5 babiesALGeorgia: #1,358GAHawaii: fewer than 5 babiesHITexas: #878TXFlorida: #651FL
Kelly (girls) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Across Canada

ProvinceYearRankBabies
Quebec2025#43811
Ontario2024#54223

Kelly (girls): rank in each province’s latest list. Only Quebec and Ontario publish full name lists; Ontario’s latest list is a year behind.

Spellings

Official statistics count each spelling separately, so we show them side by side rather than adding them up.

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
KellyCanadaGirls#96628
KellyCanadaBoys#2,0959
KellyEngland & WalesGirls#2,00614
KellyEngland & WalesBoys—too few
KellyIrelandGirls—too few
KellyIrelandBoys—too few
KellyNorthern IrelandGirls—too few
KellyNorthern IrelandBoys—too few
KellyNSWGirls—too few
KellyScotlandGirls—too few
KellyScotlandBoys—too few
KellyUSGirls#851319
KellyUSBoys#1,86784