Unisex name · since 1979

Kelechi

Kelechi has 586 recorded births since 1979 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2002 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#7,171 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,246 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
586
born since 1979
2000s
peak decade

586 babies have been named Kelechi since 1979, making it today's #6246 unisex name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelechi has been recorded 586 times among boys since 1979, currently ranked #6246 nationally and more common than 55% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1979 to 2025.

  • #7,171 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #6,246 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 586 born since 1979
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelechi ranks #7,171 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,246 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 586 born since 1979, peaking in the 2000s.

#7,171 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,246 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
586
born since 1979
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%55.1%
Kelechi vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Kelechi's 586 recorded births place it above 84.21% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

4 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by Texas.

How Kelechi compares

586 Top 41% higher than 59% of 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

Kelechi's all-time total is 59% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Kelechi Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 586 369 358,536
Peak-year births 24 34 22,252

Kelechi's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Kelechi's SSA record in two at 2004 and the more recent half accounts for 52% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 48%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1979, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 2002 peak of 24, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Kelechi popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1979–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2002)
24
Annual births at peak, across 47 years of records
510152025 197919881994200020062012201820242025 14

Kelechi popularity over time - girls

261 total births recorded since 1980 (Kelechi as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 261 births
05101520 19801991199720022007201220202024 6

Kelechi by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (170 births, 29% of the file).

2000s was Kelechi's strongest decade.

170 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.

Kelechi births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 170 births (29% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Kelechi compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Kelechi's total volume

Kelechi vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -53, 7.3%-21, 10.8%-50, 4.4%-13, 10.7%-29, 8.7%-107, 6.3%-15, 12.6%-53, 4.8%-113, 3.1%-37, 4.8%-36, 9.9%-33, 8.2%-19, 10.5%-31, 7.2%-44, 4.8%Kelechi-47, 4.1%Kelechi
Kelechi vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Kelechi by state

Where Kelechi concentrates geographically, total births since 1979

Geographically diffuse
Top 4 states by recorded births for the name Kelechi
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
24 4.1%
#2 New York
13 2.2%
#3 California
5 0.9%
#4 Georgia
5 0.9%
Texas share of Kelechi's total US births 4.1%
Even split

24 of 586 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Kelechi?
586 babies have been named Kelechi since 1979. All-time, it sits at #7,171 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #6,246 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2002 with 24 births.
Where does Kelechi sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelechi ranks #7,171 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,246 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Kelechi most popular?
Kelechi was most popular in the 2000s decade with 170 total births. The single peak year was 2002.
Where is Kelechi most popular?
The top states for the name Kelechi are Texas (24 births), New York (13 births), California (5 births).
Is Kelechi a unisex name?
Yes, Kelechi is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 586 births, and as a girl's name it has 261 births.
How long has the name Kelechi been used?
Kelechi has been recorded in Social Security data since 1979, spanning 47 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kelechi?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kelly, Kelvin, Kellen, Kellan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Kelechi's data

  • Kelechi's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (170 total births) through the 2020s (70) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Texas records the most Kelechis (24 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Kelechi

Nearby Names Like Kelechi

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kelechi

Names with a similar popularity rank to Kelechi

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Kelechi: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1979–2025 (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 Kelechi 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.