Boys' name · since 1956
Kel
245 babies named Kel in U.S. Social Security records since 1956, with the highest year being 2001. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #11,793 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,252 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 245
- born since 1956
- 2010s
- peak decade
Kel currently ranks #12252 among boys' names in America, with 245 babies recorded since 1956.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kel has been recorded 245 times among boys since 1956, currently ranked #12252 nationally and more common than 12% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1956 to 2025.
- #11,793 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,252 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 245 born since 1956
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kel ranks #11,793 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,252 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 245 born since 1956, peaking in the 2010s.
- #11,793 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,252 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 245
- born since 1956
- 2010s
- peak decade
Kel's 245 recorded births place it above 74.03% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Kel compares
245 41st percentile among 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Kel's all-time total is 34% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 245 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 15 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Kel's SSA record in two at 2003 and the more recent half accounts for 46% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 54%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1969, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2001 peak of 15, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Kel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1956–2025
- Peak year (2001)
- 15
- Annual births at peak, across 70 years of records
Kel by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (59 births, 24% of the file).
2010s was Kel's strongest decade.
59 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Kel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 12
1950s
12 births
- 1960s
1960s
36 births
- 1970s 14
1970s
14 births
- 1980s 6
1980s
6 births
- 1990s
1990s
34 births
- 2000s
2000s
55 births
- 2010s
2010s
59 births
- 2020s
2020s
29 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 59 births (24% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Kel's data
- Kel's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (59 total births) through the 2020s (29) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kel
Nearby Names Like Kel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kel
Compare Kel side by side: Kel vs Kelly Kel vs Kelvin Kel vs Kellen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2001)
Similar record span (~69 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1956–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Kel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.