Kelly name meaning

By Nishant Saini

Updated: May 30th, 2024

Gender: Unisex, both Boy and Girl

Origin: Old Irish and Celtic

Usage: English, English, Irish, Finnish, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian

Pronunciation: k(el)-ly

Meaning: Warrior, Lively, Descendant of Ceallach, Bright-headed, Farm by the Spring, Churches, Church and Monastery

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On This Page

What does Kelly mean?
Variations of Kelly
Nicknames for Kelly
Middle Names for Kelly
How popular is Kelly?
Popularity Chart
Similar Names to Kelly
Famous People Named Kelly
Lists having Kelly

What does Kelly mean?

Pleasing and Ceaseless Old Irish and Celtic Kelly is predominantly used in English, Danish, Irish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish, meaning of Kelly is "Warrior, Lively, Descendant of Ceallach, Bright-headed, Farm by the Spring, Churches, Church or Monastery" is aimed at both sexes.

Kelly is equivalent of The Gaelic Surname Ó Ceallaigh Meaning Descendant of Ceallagh in English language. Kelly is celebrated on October 8th.

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How do I pronounce Kelly?

k(el)-ly is the most common way to pronounce two syllabled Kelly.

Variants of Kelly

Ceallagh, Kayla, Kaila, Karine, Kay, Kayley, Kailianna

Nicknames for Kelly

Name Kelly has mountain of nicknames like:

Names that rhyme with Kelly

How popular is the name Kelly?

Kelly was among the n extremely popular names in United States. Since emerging in 1880 around 553158 babies have been given the given name. When at its peak in 1977, it ranked 10th when 18235 parents chose the moniker for their baby girls.

However after 250 years, the name is currently sliding down on the charts. In addition to that, the name has been in the top 10 baby names 1 times Also, a popular name in England and Wales with over 4200 new-borns have been given the name since 1996.

When at the peak of its usage in 1996, 789 girls were bestowed the name and it was ranked at 74th position. In addition to that, the first name has been in the top 100 baby names 2 times Also, a popular name in France having over 24955 recievers in 107 years of usage.

Presently the moniker is on a rise, in 1995, 1266 girls were bestowed the name and it was ranked at 65th position. Additionally, the first name has been in the top 100 baby names 15 times Also, Kelly was among the popular names in New South Wales.

Since emerging in 1964 around 8032 babies have been given the name. At the peak of its usage in 1979, the moniker grabbed the 6th spot and 576 baby girls were given the name.

After 30 years of usage, the name has fallen out of the charts. In addition to that, the moniker has been in the top 10 baby names 3 times

Kelly used to be a common name in Ireland, first appeared in 1969 and over 3327 babies have been given the name in 52 years.

When at the peak of its usage in 1994,. However after 52 years, the name is on free fall on the charts. Also, Kelly used to be a common name in Belgium, first appeared in 1995 and over 2386 babies have been given the name in 24 years.

At its zenith in 1995,. However after 24 years, the name is currently sliding down on the charts. Also, In Queensland, Kelly was once a common name since emerging in 1967 it has been given to over 3588 babies.

At the peak of its usage in 1979,. After 30 years of usage, the name has fallen out of the charts. Also, Kelly used to be a common name in Western Australia, first appeared in 1978 and over 835 babies have been given the name in 5 years.

When at its peak in 1979,. After 5 years of usage, the name has fallen out of the charts. In addition to that, the moniker has been in the top 5 baby names 4 times

Kelly is a unique baby name in Switzerland, it has been in use since 1998 and was able to reach the top 200 names.

In 1998, it achieved its highest ever ranking of 154 on girl names chart when 50 babies were named Kelly. There are over 518 babies that have been given the name Kelly in Switzerland.

However things change on global perspective, Kelly is extremely popular in Brazil where every 1 in 2000 have the name as well as in, England and Canada. Also the baby name is popular in Australia, Colombia, Peru, Congo, Burundi, Netherlands, Nigeria, New Zealand, Venezuela, Zambia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Wales, South Africa, DR Congo, Malaysia, Scotland and Ghana.

According to our estimate, over 1450000 babies have been named Kelly globally.

Year	Boys		Girls
Year	Rank	Births	Rank	Births
2023	1747	93	773	362
2022	1471	122	805	346
2021	1532	114	848	321
2020	1514	110	746	363
2019	1559	107	654	446
2018	1592	103	618	485
2017	1484	113	596	503
2016	1465	117	514	604
2015	1553	104	480	673
2014	1525	105	430	739

View more ▾View full list ▾^{[1] Source: Social Security Administration}

Facts

Kelly in Nordic countries

Countries	Men		Women
Countries	First Name	Secondary Name	First Name	Secondary Name
	191	97	9546	610
	0	0	0	216
	64	45	872	199
	4	11	74	204
	44	0	130	0

Here's what numbers has to say about Kelly

Freedom is what's most important for you. Expression number 2 reveals your talent to work with people and the ability to understand their actions. Having 5 as your soul urge number reveals your deep desire to change and transform all the time. When you focus on something, you don't let go until you realize the thing. You are sociable, outgoing and open to new friendships. Your career success is inevitable.

Other names similar to Kelly

Maryel means Variant of Mary and Rebellion aimed at girls is originated from Hebrew and Latin. Maryel is derived from Mariel.
Keitha - The unconventional girl name Keitha means "The Word Keth with the Meaning Forest Windy Place" is of Celtic origin
Fionntán is originated from Celtic, Fionntán means "White, Fair" is a baby boy name
Artan - Customary Artan is originated from Albanian and Celtic is a baby boy name is used prevalently in Danish, Finnish and English. Artan is equivalent of Attila in Faroese language
Maëlez came from Celtic, meaning of Maëlez is "Lord or Prince"

Middle names for Kelly

Here are some mushrooming and celebrated middle names we think go great with Kelly, we've got you covered with these mushrooming and celebrated middle names.

View more middle names that goes with Kelly.

Famous people named Kelly

Kelly Morgan, Welsh badminton player
Kelly Petillo, American race car driver
Kelly Fleming, #REDIRECT Columbine High School massacre#11:29 a
Kelly Doran, Minnesota businessman
Kelly Conlon, American bass guitarist
Kelly Chal, former New Zealand politician
Kelly Forbes, Canadian retired male skeleton racer
Kelly Nestor, Australian television news presenter and is working for 'The Advertiser'
Kelly VanderBeek, Canadian retired alpine skier originally
Kelly Sumner, meemmemory
American former pornographic actress, director
Kelly Richardson, Canadian artist working with digital technologies to create hyper-real landscapes
Kelly Meighen, highly accomplished Toronto-based philanthropist and volunteers much of her time supporting charities and organizations focused on mental health
Kelly Le Fave, American poet
Kelly Doton, field hockey defender from the United States,
Kelly Mann, motion picture special effects practitioner
Kelly Harrison, British actress, educated at Hungerhill School
Kelly Warren, former private in the United States Army
Kelly Piper, American actress
Kelly Moneymaker, American singer, songwriter, and producer
Kelly Hardie, Australian softball pitcher
Kelly George, social media
Kelly Emberg, American former model best
Kelly James, was one of three experienced mountain climbers
Kelly Jefferson, Canadian jazz saxophonist
Kelly Phelps, former American football quarterback that played for the Oklahoma Sooners
Kelly Tilghman, broadcaster for The Golf Channel
Kelly Sullivan, American painter
Kelly Mann, Canadian sports administrator
Kelly Oechsli, American illustrator of children's books
Kelly Sueda, painter who was born and raised in Hawaii
Kelly D. Brownell, clinical psychologist and scholar
Kelly Osbourne, British singer-songwriter, actress
Kelly Rowland, American singer, songwriter
Kelly Preston, American actress and former model
Kelly McGillis, American actress widely
Kelly Gruber, former Major League Baseball third baseman
Kelly Clarkson, American singer and songwriter
Kelly Slater, American professional surfer, author, actor, model, environmental activist
Kelly Hoare, Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives
Kelly Macdonald, Scottish actress
Kelly Chen, Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress
Kelly Flinn, former B-52 pilot in the United States Air Force
Kelly Brook, English model
Kelly Parsons, former American actress and model
Kelly Curtis, American actress
Kelly Rutherford, American actress
Kelly Monaco, American model, actress
Kelly Groucutt, English musician
Kelly Holmes, retired British middle distance athlete

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Sources

Social Security Administration, https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/index.html
Office for National Statistics, https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths
Central Statistics Office - An Phríomh-Oifig Staidrimh, https://visual.cso.ie/?body=entity/babynames
Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2540004
Sociale Verzekeringsbank, https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/population/family-names-and-first-names/first-names-boys-and-girls
Office fédéral de la statistique, https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/fr/home/statistiques/population/naissances-deces/prenoms-nouveaux-nes.html
Department of Jutsice, Government of Western Australia, https://bdm.justice.wa.gov.au/_apps/BabyNames/Default.aspx?uid=1144-3594-8619-1127
Queensland Government - Open Data Portal, https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/top-100-baby-names
NSW Government, https://www.nsw.gov.au/family-and-relationships/births/popular-baby-names

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