How Many People Are Named Kelly?
Complete statistics for the name Kelly in the United States — including rarity score, gender breakdown, age distribution, historical popularity, and state data.
Data last updated: 2025 SSA records
Loading insights…
Loading…
Normalized logarithmic scale (0–100)
male
Population Share
How Many People Have the Name Kelly in the US?
Based on Social Security Administration birth records and age-adjusted survival modeling, approximately 555,958 people in the United States currently share the name Kelly. That works out to roughly 1 in every 594 Americans, placing it in the Uncommon category among all names tracked in US records. For context on where this falls on the full spectrum, see the name rarity guide.
Is Kelly a Common or Rare Name?
Kelly is classified as Uncommon when scored against the entire US population. Our rarity scale runs from Very Common (top names shared by millions) through Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Very Rare. Understanding where a name sits helps parents gauge uniqueness when choosing a baby name, genealogists narrow down records, and curious individuals settle debates about their own identity.
What Does the Name Kelly Mean?
The meaning, language of origin, cultural and religious background for Kelly are covered in full on the Kelly name meaning & origin page. For a broader look at thousands of names, browse the name meaning directory.
Gender Breakdown: Is Kelly Male or Female?
Of all recorded bearers of Kelly in SSA data, approximately 15% are male and 85% are female. Kelly leans female but is used by both genders. See our guide to gender-neutral names for more on how naming norms evolve.
When Was Kelly Most Popular?
The name Kelly reached peak popularity in 1977, with 18,234 babies registered that year. Our article on 2025 baby name trends explores these forces in detail.
Where Is Kelly Most Common in the US?
The state-by-state breakdown above shows estimated bearer counts for Kelly across all 50 states. Highly populous states like California, Texas, and New York naturally show higher counts for almost every name simply due to population size.
How Is This Data Calculated?
All figures on this page are statistical estimates, not exact government headcounts. The underlying data comes from the SSA National Baby Names dataset. Full methodology is explained on the methodology page.
How many people are named Kelly?
Approximately 555,958 people in the United States share the name Kelly, based on SSA birth records and age-adjusted survival modeling.
Is Kelly a rare name?
Kelly is classified as Uncommon in the United States. Approximately 1 in every 594 Americans has this name.
What does the name Kelly mean?
The meaning and origin of Kelly is displayed in the Name Meaning and Origin section at the top of this page. Browse the name meaning directory at https://howmanyofme.site/name-meaning/ for more names.
Is Kelly more male or female?
Based on SSA records, 15% of people named Kelly are male and 85% are female. The predicted gender is Female.
When was Kelly most popular?
The name Kelly reached its peak in 1977, with 18,234 registrations that year.
Are these statistics exact?
No. All figures are statistical estimates based on SSA birth records and age-adjusted modeling. Exact real-time name counts are not publicly available. See the methodology page at https://howmanyofme.site/methodology/ for full details.