Kelly was a very popular baby name that peaked at #24 in 1977 but is far less common today.
Kelly is predominantly a girl name. In 2025 it ranked #852 among girls (319) and #1,881 among boys (84) — overall #1,367 across all names. The charts below show girls and boys separately.
| Year | U.S. births | U.S. + territories | ♀ Rank | ♂ Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 403 | 403 | #852 | #1,881 |
| 2024 | 421 | 421 | #867 | #1,586 |
| 2023 | 456 | 456 | #779 | #1,753 |
| 2022 | 469 | 469 | #809 | #1,486 |
| 2021 | 438 | 438 | #850 | #1,542 |
| 2020 | 476 | 476 | #746 | #1,520 |
| 2019 | 555 | 555 | #652 | #1,570 |
| 2018 | 589 | 589 | #618 | #1,597 |
| 2017 | 619 | 619 | #597 | #1,473 |
| 2016 | 723 | 723 | #515 | #1,460 |
| 2015 | 779 | 779 | #480 | #1,560 |
| 2014 | 845 | 845 | #433 | #1,528 |
| 2013 | 952 | 963 | #369 | #1,543 |
| 2012 | 998 | 1,006 | #357 | #1,521 |
| 2011 | 1,052 | 1,061 | #336 | #1,501 |
| 2010 | 1,162 | 1,167 | #306 | #1,571 |
| 2009 | 1,391 | 1,391 | #261 | #1,261 |
| 2008 | 1,512 | 1,521 | #248 | #1,459 |
| 2007 | 1,723 | 1,730 | #222 | #1,156 |
| 2006 | 1,750 | 1,757 | #212 | #1,208 |
| 2005 | 2,079 | 2,096 | #175 | #1,250 |
| 2004 | 2,517 | 2,523 | #138 | #1,026 |
| 2003 | 2,882 | 2,895 | #125 | #1,067 |
| 2002 | 3,037 | 3,049 | #119 | #884 |
| 2001 | 2,988 | 3,000 | #124 | #903 |
| 2000 | 3,279 | 3,295 | #111 | #799 |
| 1999 | 3,615 | 3,624 | #95 | #789 |
| 1998 | 3,943 | 3,965 | #90 | #698 |
| 1997 | 4,348 | — | #83 | #616 |
| 1996 | 5,073 | — | #73 | #551 |
| 1995 | 5,755 | — | #64 | #536 |
| 1994 | 5,831 | — | #62 | #514 |
| 1993 | 6,770 | — | #51 | #456 |
| 1992 | 7,546 | — | #47 | #417 |
| 1991 | 8,157 | — | #42 | #367 |
| 1990 | 8,824 | — | #41 | #351 |
| 1989 | 9,570 | — | #37 | #299 |
| 1988 | 9,657 | — | #32 | #307 |
| 1987 | 10,652 | — | #30 | #280 |
| 1986 | 11,284 | — | #29 | #255 |
| 1985 | 11,921 | — | #28 | #254 |
| 1984 | 12,201 | — | #27 | #228 |
| 1983 | 12,641 | — | #26 | #217 |
| 1982 | 13,440 | — | #25 | #197 |
| 1981 | 13,054 | — | #23 | #209 |
| 1980 | 14,893 | — | #19 | #210 |
| 1979 | 16,504 | — | #16 | #200 |
| 1978 | 18,284 | — | #12 | #180 |
| 1977 | 19,718 | — | #10 | #162 |
| 1976 | 13,331 | — | #19 | #158 |
| 1975 | 13,379 | — | #16 | #150 |
| 1974 | 12,609 | — | #15 | #143 |
| 1973 | 12,214 | — | #18 | #147 |
| 1972 | 12,861 | — | #23 | #140 |
| 1971 | 14,865 | — | #22 | #136 |
| 1970 | 17,101 | — | #20 | #135 |
| 1969 | 19,119 | — | #15 | #115 |
| 1968 | 20,197 | — | #12 | #97 |
| 1967 | 16,810 | — | #23 | #102 |
| 1966 | 16,026 | — | #26 | #111 |
| 1965 | 15,021 | — | #30 | #136 |
| 1964 | 14,962 | — | #35 | #132 |
| 1963 | 15,279 | — | #32 | #126 |
| 1962 | 14,385 | — | #38 | #125 |
| 1961 | 12,653 | — | #45 | #125 |
| 1960 | 11,607 | — | #52 | #128 |
| 1959 | 8,818 | — | #74 | #143 |
| 1958 | 6,770 | — | #108 | #148 |
| 1957 | 3,778 | — | #187 | #167 |
| 1956 | 2,298 | — | #309 | #190 |
| 1955 | 1,789 | — | #380 | #204 |
| 1954 | 1,418 | — | #406 | #224 |
| 1953 | 1,071 | — | #590 | #233 |
| 1952 | 1,101 | — | #490 | #235 |
| 1951 | 864 | — | #684 | #252 |
| 1950 | 585 | — | #904 | #307 |
| 1949 | 627 | — | #805 | #299 |
| 1948 | 462 | — | #959 | #346 |
| 1947 | 424 | — | #1,042 | #368 |
| 1946 | 334 | — | #1,214 | #389 |
| 1945 | 291 | — | #1,106 | #385 |
| 1944 | 335 | — | #1,011 | #363 |
| 1943 | 311 | — | #1,382 | #369 |
| 1942 | 285 | — | #1,359 | #385 |
| 1941 | 188 | — | #1,486 | #470 |
| 1940 | 166 | — | #1,613 | #485 |
| 1939 | 163 | — | #2,818 | #467 |
| 1938 | 155 | — | #1,908 | #497 |
| 1937 | 140 | — | #2,256 | #515 |
| 1936 | 151 | — | #2,330 | #481 |
| 1935 | 138 | — | #2,370 | #515 |
| 1934 | 155 | — | #2,652 | #474 |
| 1933 | 132 | — | #2,474 | #516 |
| 1932 | 119 | — | #2,306 | #579 |
| 1931 | 138 | — | #3,104 | #506 |
| 1930 | 130 | — | #2,485 | #556 |
| 1929 | 152 | — | #2,835 | #496 |
| 1928 | 139 | — | #2,877 | #539 |
| 1927 | 142 | — | #3,176 | #534 |
| 1926 | 135 | — | #2,802 | #548 |
| 1925 | 136 | — | #2,438 | #562 |
| 1924 | 135 | — | #3,257 | #570 |
| 1923 | 121 | — | #3,241 | #603 |
| 1922 | 154 | — | #2,681 | #523 |
| 1921 | 148 | — | #2,436 | #541 |
| 1920 | 132 | — | #3,002 | #566 |
| 1919 | 152 | — | #3,633 | #496 |
| 1918 | 132 | — | #2,442 | #554 |
| 1917 | 139 | — | #3,519 | #501 |
| 1916 | 99 | — | #3,148 | #616 |
| 1915 | 106 | — | #4,614 | #566 |
| 1914 | 103 | — | #2,191 | #511 |
| 1913 | 63 | — | — | #547 |
| 1912 | 64 | — | #2,506 | #527 |
| 1911 | 46 | — | #2,669 | #459 |
| 1910 | 52 | — | #2,286 | #386 |
| 1909 | 33 | — | #1,870 | #512 |
| 1908 | 30 | — | #2,274 | #508 |
| 1907 | 34 | — | #2,216 | #433 |
| 1906 | 20 | — | — | #512 |
| 1905 | 11 | — | — | #771 |
| 1904 | 13 | — | — | #666 |
| 1903 | 21 | — | — | #461 |
| 1902 | 16 | — | — | #546 |
| 1901 | 12 | — | — | #622 |
| 1900 | 33 | — | — | #390 |
| 1899 | 9 | — | — | #755 |
| 1898 | 10 | — | — | #722 |
| 1897 | 15 | — | — | #537 |
| 1896 | 14 | — | — | #573 |
| 1895 | 23 | — | — | #406 |
| 1894 | 12 | — | — | #611 |
| 1893 | 21 | — | — | #396 |
| 1892 | 18 | — | — | #470 |
| 1891 | 9 | — | — | #674 |
| 1890 | 11 | — | — | #621 |
| 1889 | 17 | — | — | #451 |
| 1888 | 10 | — | — | #676 |
| 1887 | 13 | — | — | #500 |
| 1886 | 16 | — | — | #462 |
| 1885 | 15 | — | — | #492 |
| 1884 | 10 | — | — | #640 |
| 1883 | 12 | — | — | #543 |
| 1882 | 13 | — | — | #526 |
| 1881 | 8 | — | — | #676 |
| 1880 | 5 | — | — | #995 |