NameRealm
Kelley

Kelley: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“descendant of Ceallach”
Origin
Irish
Say it
KEL-ee · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls (88% of all uses)

Surname-derived spelling variant of Kelly, from the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh. The original personal name Ceallach is of uncertain meaning, often glossed as 'bright-headed' or 'strife'.

Irish namesEnglish namesSurname-style namesInternational names

How popular is Kelley?

20247.5 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Kelley in 202425

Peak year1968

Total US babies since 188052,361

Kelley is fading: recent use is about 65% of its level ten years before.

Names like Kelley

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Kellydescendant of Ceallach · Irish
  • Keilyuncertain · Unknown
  • Kelliwar; strife · Irish
  • Kelliebright-headed · Irish
  • Maeveshe who intoxicates · Irish
  • Kennedyhelmeted head · Irish
  • Sloaneraider · Irish
  • Delaneydescendant of the challenger · Irish

Kelley questions

What does the name Kelley mean?

Kelley means "descendant of Ceallach". It comes from Irish. Surname-derived spelling variant of Kelly, from the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh. The original personal name Ceallach is of uncertain meaning, often glossed as 'bright-headed' or 'strife'.

Is Kelley a boy or girl name?

Kelley is mainly a girl's name in US records (88% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Kelley?

25 US babies were named Kelley in 2024. Its peak year was 1968.

How do you pronounce Kelley?

Kelley is usually pronounced KEL-ee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.