Girl & boy name
Kelly
Kelly holds the #851 spot on the 2025 list of the most popular girl names in the U.S. That amounts to 319 newborn girls in a single year. The name has been cooling off, slipping from #745 in 2020 to #851 today. Its strongest year on record was 1977 (#10 nationally, 18,234 newborns), in a data series reaching back to 1907. The name's biggest fan base is in Massachusetts (#444 there in 2025).
Rankings
Kelly popularity, 1880–2025
Where Kelly is most popular
Uniqueness score
Well known, but far from crowded — the middle of the field. Based on how many babies per birth were named Kelly in the most recent year of SSA data.
Similar names
Kelly as a boy name
Kelly is currently the #1867 boy name in the United States, based on 2025 Social Security data. In raw numbers: 84 babies. It has drifted down the charts over the past five years, from #1518 to #1867. Looking at the full record since 1880, Kelly hit its all-time high of #97 in 1968, when 3,059 boys were given the name. State by state, Pennsylvania leads the way at #1094.