Unisex name · since 1981
Kelyn
428 babies named Kelyn in U.S. Social Security records since 1981, with the highest year being 2006. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #12,985 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 428
- born since 1981
- 2000s
- peak decade
428 girls have been named Kelyn since 1981, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelyn has been recorded 428 times among girls since 1981, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, 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 1981 to 2020.
- #12,985 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 428 born since 1981
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelyn ranks #12,985 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 428 born since 1981, peaking in the 2000s.
- #12,985 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 428
- born since 1981
- 2000s
- peak decade
Kelyn's 428 recorded births place it above 82.03% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Kelyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kelyn splits its recorded history at 2001: 57% of all births land in the more recent half, 43% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1981 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2006 peak of 22 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kelyn popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1981–2020
- Peak year (2006)
- 22
- Annual births at peak, across 40 years of records
Kelyn popularity over time - boys
336 total births recorded since 1986 (Kelyn as boys' name)
Kelyn by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (148 births, 35% of the file).
2000s was Kelyn's strongest decade.
148 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Kelyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 59
1980s
59 births
- 1990s
1990s
111 births
- 2000s
2000s
148 births
- 2010s
2010s
103 births
- 2020s 7
2020s
7 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 148 births (35% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kelyn? ▼
Where does Kelyn sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kelyn most popular? ▼
Is Kelyn a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Kelyn been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kelyn? ▼
What to do with Kelyn's data
- Kelyn's decade-level peak was the 2000s (148 total births); usage has since declined to 7 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kelyn
Nearby Names Like Kelyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kelyn
Compare Kelyn side by side: Kelyn vs Kelly Kelyn vs Kelsey Kelyn vs Kelli
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kelyn: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2006)
Similar record span (~39 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, 1981–2020 (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 Kelyn 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.