Unisex name · since 1907
Kelly
Kelly has 473,965 recorded births since 1907 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1977 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #70 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #851 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 473,965
- born since 1907
- 1970s
- peak decade
473,965 babies have been named Kelly since 1907, making it today's #851 unisex name.
Kelly has 473,965 recorded births among girls since 1907, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #851 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of girls, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1907 to 2025.
- #70 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #851 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 473,965 born since 1907
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelly ranks #70 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #851 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 473,965 born since 1907, peaking in the 1970s.
- #70 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #851 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 473,965
- born since 1907
- 1970s
- peak decade
Kelly's 473,965 recorded births place it above 99.9% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kelly compares
473,965 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Kelly's all-time total is 1,261x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kelly | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 473,965 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 18,234 | 21 | 19,840 |
Kelly's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Kelly's SSA record in two at 1967 and the more recent half accounts for 80% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 20%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1907, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1977 peak of 18,234, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Kelly popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1907–2025
- Peak year (1977)
- 18,234
- Annual births at peak, across 119 years of records
Kelly popularity over time - boys
82,400 total births recorded since 1880 (Kelly as boys' name)
Kelly by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (133,545 births, 28% of the file).
1970s was Kelly's strongest decade.
133,545 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Kelly births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 17
1900s
17 births
- 1910s 73
1910s
73 births
- 1920s 118
1920s
118 births
- 1930s 127
1930s
127 births
- 1940s 559
1940s
559 births
- 1950s 15,358
1950s
15,358 births
- 1960s
1960s
128,053 births
- 1970s
1970s
133,545 births
- 1980s
1980s
109,539 births
- 1990s
1990s
55,724 births
- 2000s 21,618
2000s
21,618 births
- 2010s 7,204
2010s
7,204 births
- 2020s 2,030
2020s
2,030 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 133,545 births (28% of all-time use).
How Kelly compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Kelly's total volume
Kelly by state
Where Kelly concentrates geographically, total births since 1907
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 47,515 | 10.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 36,710 | 7.7% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 31,061 | 6.6% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 29,328 | 6.2% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 27,035 | 5.7% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 25,024 | 5.3% |
| #7 | Texas | | 22,375 | 4.7% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 18,075 | 3.8% |
47,515 of 473,965 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kelly appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Kelly's data
- Kelly's decade-level peak was the 1970s (133,545 total births); usage has since declined to 2,030 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kellys (47,515 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 Kelly
Nearby Names Like Kelly
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kelly
Compare Kelly side by side: Kelly vs Kelsey Kelly vs Kelli Kelly vs Kellie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kelly
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kelly: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1977)
Similar record span (~118 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, 1907–2025 (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 Kelly 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.