Girls' name · since 1942
Kelsey
Since 1942, U.S. Social Security records show 150,416 babies named Kelsey, peaking in 1992. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #263 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #815 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 150,416
- born since 1942
- 1990s
- peak decade
150,416 babies have been named Kelsey since 1942, making it today's #815 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelsey has been recorded 150,416 times among girls since 1942, currently ranked #815 nationally and more common than 95% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1942 to 2025.
- #263 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #815 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 150,416 born since 1942
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelsey ranks #263 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #815 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 150,416 born since 1942, peaking in the 1990s.
- #263 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #815 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 150,416
- born since 1942
- 1990s
- peak decade
Kelsey's 150,416 recorded births place it above 99.63% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kelsey compares
150,416 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Kelsey's all-time total is 400x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kelsey | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 150,416 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11,713 | 21 | 19,840 |
Kelsey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kelsey's full recorded timeline at 1985, 96% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 4% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1942, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1992 peak of 11,713 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kelsey popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1942–2025
- Peak year (1992)
- 11,713
- Annual births at peak, across 84 years of records
Kelsey popularity over time - boys
5,322 total births recorded since 1891 (Kelsey as boys' name)
Kelsey by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (85,134 births, 57% of the file).
1990s was Kelsey's strongest decade.
85,134 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 57% of all-time use.
Kelsey births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 41
1940s
41 births
- 1950s 139
1950s
139 births
- 1960s 226
1960s
226 births
- 1970s 1,111
1970s
1,111 births
- 1980s 27,758
1980s
27,758 births
- 1990s
1990s
85,134 births
- 2000s 23,380
2000s
23,380 births
- 2010s 9,901
2010s
9,901 births
- 2020s 2,726
2020s
2,726 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 85,134 births (57% of all-time use).
How Kelsey 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 Kelsey's total volume
Kelsey by state
Where Kelsey concentrates geographically, total births since 1942
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 12,124 | 8.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 9,709 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 7,439 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 6,772 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 6,676 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 6,234 | 4.1% |
| #7 | New York | | 6,121 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Florida | | 5,351 | 3.6% |
12,124 of 150,416 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kelsey appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kelsey? ▼
Where does Kelsey sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kelsey most popular? ▼
Where is Kelsey most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kelsey been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kelsey? ▼
What to do with Kelsey's data
- Kelsey's decade-level peak was the 1990s (85,134 total births); usage has since declined to 2,726 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kelseys (12,124 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 Kelsey
Nearby Names Like Kelsey
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kelsey
Compare Kelsey side by side: Kelsey vs Kelly Kelsey vs Kelli Kelsey vs Kellie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kelsey
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kelsey: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1992)
Similar record span (~83 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, 1942–2025 (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 Kelsey 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.