How Many People Are Named Kelley?
An estimated 45,625 people in the United States have the first name Kelley. It is used for both genders, with 88.0% female. The average bearer is 50 years old, and Kelley peaked in popularity in 1968 with 2,086 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Kelley as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Kelley paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Kelley has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
- Kelley has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
45,625
About 1 in 7,512 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
88.0% confidence
Average Age
50
years old
Peak Year
1968
2,086 births
Total Registered
52,361
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Kelley
Kelley is predominantly female (88.0%), though 6,277 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Kelley as a male name
Ranked #9,416 in 2024
8 male births in 2024
Peak: 1968 (168 births)
Kelley as a female name
Ranked #6,774 in 2024
17 female births in 2024
Peak: 1968 (1,918 births)
Kelley: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Kelley span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 16,118 babies were registered. Kelley has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Kelley by Decade
How has Kelley tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 29 | 29 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 32 | 32 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 81 | 81 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 250 | 244 | 6 | |
| 1920s | 314 | 309 | 5 | |
| 1930s | 233 | 233 | 0 | |
| 1940s | 440 | 359 | 81 | |
| 1950s | 3,127 | 891 | 2,236 | |
| 1960s | 16,118 | 1,370 | 14,748 | |
| 1970s | 13,804 | 1,059 | 12,745 | |
| 1980s | 10,583 | 795 | 9,788 | |
| 1990s | 5,352 | 417 | 4,935 | |
| 2000s | 1,332 | 221 | 1,111 | |
| 2010s | 498 | 169 | 329 | |
| 2020s | 168 | 68 | 100 | |
Kelley by State
Birth registrations for Kelley span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Ohio. The lowest are in Alaska, Wyoming, South Dakota. On average, about 897 Kelleys were registered per state.
Kelley + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Kelley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Kelley
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
Kelley: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kelley?
We estimate approximately 45,625 people named Kelley are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 7,512 Americans share this first name.
Is Kelley a common name?
Kelley is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.1% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 52,361 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Kelley most popular?
Kelley reached peak popularity in 1968, when 2,086 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Kelley is approximately 50 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Kelley a female name?
Kelley is predominantly female. 88.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Kelley Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Kelley Smith, Kelley Johnson, Kelley Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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