Unisex name · since 1954
Kellen
Kellen has 17,042 recorded births since 1954 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2012 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #904 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,069 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 17,042
- born since 1954
- 2010s
- peak decade
17,042 babies have been named Kellen since 1954, making it today's #1069 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Kellen recorded 17,042 times among boys since 1954, holding rank #1069 nationally today, ahead of 92% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1954 to 2025.
- #904 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,069 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 17,042 born since 1954
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kellen ranks #904 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,069 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 17,042 born since 1954, peaking in the 2010s.
- #904 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,069 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 17,042
- born since 1954
- 2010s
- peak decade
Kellen's 17,042 recorded births place it above 98.01% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kellen compares
17,042 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Kellen's all-time total is 46x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kellen | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 17,042 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 932 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kellen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kellen's full recorded timeline at 1995, 77% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 23% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1954, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2012 peak of 932 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kellen popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1954–2025
- Peak year (2012)
- 932
- Annual births at peak, across 72 years of records
Kellen popularity over time - girls
1,265 total births recorded since 1961 (Kellen as girls' name)
Kellen by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (6,167 births, 36% of the file).
2010s was Kellen's strongest decade.
6,167 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Kellen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 43
1950s
43 births
- 1960s 43
1960s
43 births
- 1970s 26
1970s
26 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,854 births
- 1990s 1,981
1990s
1,981 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,398 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,167 births
- 2020s 1,530
2020s
1,530 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 6,167 births (36% of all-time use).
How Kellen 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 Kellen's total volume
Kellen by state
Where Kellen concentrates geographically, total births since 1954
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,771 | 10.4% |
| #2 | Washington | | 1,053 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Texas | | 840 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 803 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 659 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 607 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Oregon | | 581 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 580 | 3.4% |
1,771 of 17,042 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Kellen appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kellen? ▼
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When was Kellen most popular? ▼
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What to do with Kellen's data
- Kellen's decade-level peak was the 2010s (6,167 total births); usage has since declined to 1,530 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kellens (1,771 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kellen
Nearby Names Like Kellen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kellen
Compare Kellen side by side: Kellen vs Kelly Kellen vs Kelvin Kellen vs Kellan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kellen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kellen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2012)
Similar record span (~71 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, 1954–2025 (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 Kellen 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.