How Many People Are Named Kelly?
An estimated 494,171 people in the United States have the first name Kelly. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #85 overall. It is used for both genders, with 85.2% female. The average bearer is 48 years old, and Kelly peaked in popularity in 1968 with 20,197 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Rachel (491,323).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Kelly 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 Kelly paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Kelly has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
- Kelly 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
494,171
About 1 in 694 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
85.2% confidence
Average Age
48
years old
Peak Year
1968
20,197 births
Total Registered
555,958
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Kelly
Kelly is predominantly female (85.2%), though 82,317 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Kelly as a male name
Ranked #1,579 in 2024
109 male births in 2024
Peak: 1967 (3,093 births)
Kelly as a female name
Ranked #868 in 2024
310 female births in 2024
Peak: 1977 (18,234 births)
Kelly: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Kelly span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 156,056 babies were registered. Kelly has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Kelly by Decade
How has Kelly 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 | 119 | 119 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 142 | 142 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 223 | 206 | 17 | |
| 1910s | 956 | 883 | 73 | |
| 1920s | 1,394 | 1,276 | 118 | |
| 1930s | 1,421 | 1,294 | 127 | |
| 1940s | 3,423 | 2,864 | 559 | |
| 1950s | 28,491 | 13,133 | 15,358 | |
| 1960s | 156,056 | 28,004 | 128,052 | |
| 1970s | 150,870 | 17,322 | 133,548 | |
| 1980s | 119,316 | 9,776 | 109,540 | |
| 1990s | 59,862 | 4,139 | 55,723 | |
| 2000s | 23,156 | 1,540 | 21,616 | |
| 2010s | 8,271 | 1,070 | 7,201 | |
| 2020s | 2,258 | 549 | 1,709 | |
Kelly by State
Birth registrations for Kelly span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Ohio. The lowest are in Alaska, Vermont, Wyoming. On average, about 10,778 Kellys were registered per state.
Kelly + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Kelly as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Kelly
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
Kelly: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kelly?
We estimate approximately 494,171 people named Kelly 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 694 Americans share this first name.
Is Kelly a common name?
Kelly is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 555,958 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Kelly most popular?
Kelly reached peak popularity in 1968, when 20,197 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Kelly is approximately 48 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Kelly a female name?
Kelly is predominantly female. 85.2% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Kelly Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Kelly Smith, Kelly Johnson, Kelly 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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