Unisex name
Kelly
4,353 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 2.
Origin
Borrowed from Irish Ó Ceallaigh. Doublet of Kellogg and Callahan.From Wiktionary, entry “Kelly”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 789 births. 4,353 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s. At its peak, it ranked 74th among girls' names in 1996. It is still given: 111 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1968: 20,197 births. 556,365 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. At its peak, it ranked 10th among girls' names in 1977. It is given to girls (85%) as well as boys (15%). It really came into use around 1893. It is still given: 2,187 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1996: 171 births. 3,357 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. At its peak, it ranked 35th among girls' names in 1994. It really came into use around 1977. It is still given: 22 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 25,770 | 1900–2025 | 65th in 1995 |
| Quebec | 2,778 | 1980–2025 | 40th in 1998 |
| Switzerland | 1,424* | 1915–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution.
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
2
cooperation, sensitivity, connection
2 + 5 + 3 + 3 + 7 = 20 → 2
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
3
expression, creativity, sociability
5 + 7 = 12 → 3
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
8
power, achievement, your relationship with money
2 + 3 + 3 = 8
- Digits missing from the name
- 1, 4, 6, 8, 9
- Most frequent digit
- 3 · expression, creativity, sociability
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.