Kelly
Pronounced K EH1 L IY0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1977
- 118 years in use
- 3 spellings
How popular is Kelly?
Kelly is a name given to both boys and girls, and first appears in 1907. It has been given to 734,746 children — the 48th most common girls' name on record.
It is falling away, down 65% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1977, when 23,704 children were given it.
Three other spellings are counted in that total — Kelley, Kellie and Kelli — because they are pronounced identically.
Roughly 12% of children named Kelly are boys, so the split is a real one rather than a rounding error.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Kelly and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Kelley
- Kellie
- Kelli
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- K EH1 L IY0 · OW0 K EH1 L IY0
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 010
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Kelly
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Kelly
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Kelly?
- Kelly ranks 48th among girls' names in US records, with 734,746 births since 1907. Over the past decade it accounts for 5,255.
- Is Kelly a unisex name?
- Yes. About 12% of children given the name are boys, which is a genuine split rather than a rounding error.
- When was Kelly most popular?
- 1977, when 23,704 children were given the name. It has been in use for 118 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Kelly spelled?
- Kelley, Kellie, Kelli. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.