Kelly
Girl name · #851 in 2025 · Rare
Kelly is currently the #851 girl name in the United States — 319 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #480, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 5,643 girls born in 2025 was named Kelly.
Babies named Kelly per year. Source: SSA.
The 118-year story
Kelly first appears in the Social Security records in 1907, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1977, when 18,234 girls were named Kelly — good for #10 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Kelly against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kelly in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Kelly is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Kelly will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Kelly is most common
Geography matters for names, and Kelly is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Kelly is most common in MD (0.6 per 1,000), MA (0.5 per 1,000), NY (0.5 per 1,000), FL (0.3 per 1,000), VA (0.3 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.2 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Kelly is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Kelly
Statistically, parents drawn to Kelly tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Holly, Darcy, Jenny, Polly, and Kimberly.
HollyDarcyJennyPollyKimberlyMonicaJamieStacy
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Kelly | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 319 | #851 |
| 2024 | 312 | #867 |
| 2023 | 362 | #779 |
| 2022 | 347 | #808 |
| 2021 | 324 | #850 |
| 2020 | 366 | #745 |
| 2019 | 448 | #652 |
| 2018 | 486 | #618 |
| 2017 | 504 | #597 |
| 2016 | 605 | #515 |
| 2015 | 675 | #480 |
| 2014 | 740 | #432 |
| 2013 | 849 | #368 |
| 2012 | 892 | #357 |
| 2011 | 944 | #336 |
| 2010 | 1,061 | #306 |
| 2009 | 1,251 | #261 |
| 2008 | 1,399 | #248 |
| 2007 | 1,569 | #222 |
| 2006 | 1,611 | #212 |
| 2005 | 1,952 | #175 |
| 2004 | 2,357 | #138 |
| 2003 | 2,736 | #125 |
| 2002 | 2,852 | #119 |
| 2001 | 2,814 | #124 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kelly a popular girl name?
Kelly ranked #851 among girls in 2025 with 319 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #480.
When was the name Kelly most popular?
Kelly peaked in 1977, when 18,234 American girls received the name (ranked #10 that year). Since 1977 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Kelly?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 5,643 newborn American girls was named Kelly. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.