Is Kelly a boy or girl name?
Kelly is used for both, more often for girls in the US. In 2024, 310 girls and 109 boys were named Kelly, so 74% were girls. Across 1880–2024, 85.2% of the 555,958 US babies named Kelly were girls.
- Boy rank, 2024
- #1,579
- Girl rank, 2024
- #868
- Babies named Kelly since 1880
- 555,958
- Most popular year
- 1968
- 20,197 babies
Boys and girls named Kelly, by decade
| Decade | Boys | Girls | Share girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 119 | 0 | 0% |
| 1890s | 142 | 0 | 0% |
| 1900s | 206 | 17 | 7.6% |
| 1910s | 883 | 73 | 7.6% |
| 1920s | 1,276 | 118 | 8.5% |
| 1930s | 1,294 | 127 | 8.9% |
| 1940s | 2,864 | 559 | 16.3% |
| 1950s | 13,133 | 15,358 | 53.9% |
| 1960s | 28,004 | 128,052 | 82.1% |
| 1970s | 17,322 | 133,548 | 88.5% |
| 1980s | 9,776 | 109,540 | 91.8% |
| 1990s | 4,139 | 55,723 | 93.1% |
| 2000s | 1,540 | 21,616 | 93.3% |
| 2010s | 1,070 | 7,201 | 87.1% |
| 2020s | 549 | 1,709 | 75.7% |
Every year
| Year | Boys | Boy rank | Girls | Girl rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 109 | #1,579 | 310 | #868 |
| 2023 | 94 | #1,749 | 362 | #778 |
| 2022 | 122 | #1,485 | 347 | #808 |
| 2021 | 114 | #1,540 | 324 | #850 |
| 2020 | 110 | #1,520 | 366 | #745 |
| 2019 | 107 | #1,570 | 447 | #653 |
| 2018 | 103 | #1,597 | 485 | #619 |
| 2017 | 115 | #1,472 | 504 | #597 |
| 2016 | 118 | #1,460 | 605 | #514 |
| 2015 | 104 | #1,559 | 675 | #479 |
| 2014 | 105 | #1,528 | 739 | #432 |
| 2013 | 103 | #1,542 | 849 | #369 |
| 2012 | 106 | #1,521 | 892 | #357 |
| 2011 | 108 | #1,501 | 944 | #336 |
| 2010 | 101 | #1,571 | 1,061 | #306 |
| 2009 | 140 | #1,261 | 1,251 | #261 |
| 2008 | 113 | #1,459 | 1,399 | #248 |
| 2007 | 154 | #1,156 | 1,568 | #222 |
| 2006 | 139 | #1,208 | 1,611 | #212 |
| 2005 | 127 | #1,249 | 1,952 | #175 |
| 2004 | 160 | #1,026 | 2,357 | #138 |
| 2003 | 146 | #1,067 | 2,736 | #125 |
| 2002 | 185 | #884 | 2,852 | #119 |
| 2001 | 174 | #903 | 2,814 | #124 |
| 2000 | 202 | #799 | 3,076 | #111 |
| 1999 | 195 | #789 | 3,420 | #95 |
| 1998 | 240 | #698 | 3,703 | #90 |
| 1997 | 284 | #616 | 4,064 | #83 |
| 1996 | 339 | #551 | 4,734 | #73 |
| 1995 | 357 | #536 | 5,398 | #64 |
| 1994 | 385 | #514 | 5,446 | #62 |
| 1993 | 475 | #456 | 6,295 | #51 |
| 1992 | 534 | #417 | 7,012 | #47 |
| 1991 | 643 | #367 | 7,514 | #42 |
| 1990 | 687 | #351 | 8,137 | #41 |
| 1989 | 811 | #299 | 8,759 | #37 |
| 1988 | 740 | #307 | 8,916 | #32 |
| 1987 | 786 | #280 | 9,866 | #30 |
| 1986 | 873 | #255 | 10,411 | #29 |
| 1985 | 892 | #254 | 11,031 | #28 |
| 1984 | 985 | #228 | 11,217 | #27 |
| 1983 | 1,054 | #218 | 11,587 | #26 |
| 1982 | 1,271 | #197 | 12,170 | #25 |
| 1981 | 1,181 | #209 | 11,873 | #23 |
| 1980 | 1,183 | #210 | 13,710 | #19 |
| 1979 | 1,208 | #200 | 15,296 | #16 |
| 1978 | 1,308 | #180 | 16,977 | #12 |
| 1977 | 1,484 | #162 | 18,234 | #10 |
| 1976 | 1,540 | #158 | 11,791 | #19 |
| 1975 | 1,644 | #150 | 11,737 | #16 |
| 1974 | 1,758 | #143 | 10,849 | #15 |
| 1973 | 1,702 | #147 | 10,514 | #18 |
| 1972 | 1,917 | #140 | 10,943 | #23 |
| 1971 | 2,266 | #136 | 12,599 | #22 |
| 1970 | 2,495 | #135 | 14,608 | #20 |
| 1969 | 2,791 | #115 | 16,328 | #15 |
| 1968 | 3,058 | #97 | 17,139 | #12 |
| 1967 | 3,093 | #102 | 13,717 | #23 |
| 1966 | 2,784 | #111 | 13,242 | #26 |
| 1965 | 2,259 | #136 | 12,763 | #30 |
| 1964 | 2,492 | #132 | 12,469 | #35 |
| 1963 | 2,727 | #126 | 12,550 | #32 |
| 1962 | 2,856 | #125 | 11,530 | #38 |
| 1961 | 3,013 | #125 | 9,641 | #45 |
| 1960 | 2,931 | #128 | 8,673 | #52 |
| 1959 | 2,437 | #143 | 6,379 | #74 |
| 1958 | 2,299 | #148 | 4,472 | #108 |
| 1957 | 1,876 | #167 | 1,903 | #187 |
| 1956 | 1,468 | #190 | 830 | #309 |
| 1955 | 1,250 | #204 | 539 | #380 |
| 1954 | 964 | #224 | 453 | #406 |
| 1953 | 845 | #233 | 226 | #590 |
| 1952 | 805 | #235 | 296 | #490 |
| 1951 | 701 | #252 | 163 | #685 |
| 1950 | 488 | #307 | 97 | #904 |
| 1949 | 510 | #299 | 117 | #805 |
| 1948 | 379 | #346 | 83 | #959 |
| 1947 | 351 | #368 | 73 | #1,042 |
| 1946 | 283 | #389 | 51 | #1,214 |
| 1945 | 240 | #385 | 51 | #1,106 |
| 1944 | 275 | #363 | 60 | #1,011 |
| 1943 | 275 | #369 | 36 | #1,382 |
| 1942 | 249 | #385 | 36 | #1,359 |
| 1941 | 160 | #470 | 28 | #1,486 |
| 1940 | 142 | #485 | 24 | #1,613 |
| 1939 | 153 | #467 | 10 | #2,818 |
| 1938 | 137 | #497 | 18 | #1,908 |
| 1937 | 126 | #515 | 14 | #2,256 |
| 1936 | 138 | #481 | 13 | #2,330 |
| 1935 | 125 | #515 | 13 | #2,370 |
| 1934 | 144 | #474 | 11 | #2,652 |
| 1933 | 120 | #516 | 12 | #2,474 |
| 1932 | 105 | #579 | 14 | #2,306 |
| 1931 | 129 | #506 | 9 | #3,104 |
| 1930 | 117 | #557 | 13 | #2,485 |
| 1929 | 141 | #496 | 11 | #2,835 |
| 1928 | 128 | #539 | 11 | #2,877 |
| 1927 | 132 | #534 | 10 | #3,176 |
| 1926 | 123 | #548 | 12 | #2,802 |
| 1925 | 121 | #562 | 15 | #2,438 |
| 1924 | 125 | #570 | 10 | #3,257 |
| 1923 | 111 | #603 | 10 | #3,242 |
| 1922 | 141 | #523 | 13 | #2,681 |
| 1921 | 133 | #541 | 15 | #2,436 |
| 1920 | 121 | #566 | 11 | #3,002 |
| 1919 | 144 | #496 | 8 | #3,633 |
| 1918 | 118 | #554 | 14 | #2,442 |
| 1917 | 131 | #501 | 8 | #3,519 |
| 1916 | 90 | #616 | 9 | #3,148 |
| 1915 | 101 | #566 | 5 | #4,614 |
| 1914 | 92 | #511 | 11 | #2,191 |
| 1913 | 63 | #547 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 57 | #527 | 7 | #2,506 |
| 1911 | 41 | #459 | 5 | #2,669 |
| 1910 | 46 | #386 | 6 | #2,286 |
| 1909 | 26 | #512 | 7 | #1,870 |
| 1908 | 25 | #508 | 5 | #2,274 |
| 1907 | 29 | #433 | 5 | #2,216 |
| 1906 | 20 | #512 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 11 | #771 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 13 | #666 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 21 | #461 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 16 | #546 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 12 | #622 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 33 | #390 | 0 | – |
| 1899 | 9 | #755 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 10 | #722 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 15 | #537 | 0 | – |
| 1896 | 14 | #573 | 0 | – |
| 1895 | 23 | #406 | 0 | – |
| 1894 | 12 | #611 | 0 | – |
| 1893 | 21 | #396 | 0 | – |
| 1892 | 18 | #470 | 0 | – |
| 1891 | 9 | #674 | 0 | – |
| 1890 | 11 | #621 | 0 | – |
| 1889 | 17 | #451 | 0 | – |
| 1888 | 10 | #676 | 0 | – |
| 1887 | 13 | #500 | 0 | – |
| 1886 | 16 | #462 | 0 | – |
| 1885 | 15 | #492 | 0 | – |
| 1884 | 10 | #640 | 0 | – |
| 1883 | 12 | #543 | 0 | – |
| 1882 | 13 | #526 | 0 | – |
| 1881 | 8 | #676 | 0 | – |
| 1880 | 5 | #995 | 0 | – |
Highest rank
As a boy name, Kelly reached #97 in 1968. As a girl name, it reached #10 in 1977. Ranks count every name SSA published for that year and sex, so they go well past the top 1,000.
Names from the same era
These names were also most popular in the 1960s, with a similar number of babies. They can work as sibling or middle names that feel like they belong together.
Names spelled like Kelly
Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880–2024. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.