Kelly is an English-language unisex given name, derived from the Irish surname Kelly.
It has predominantly been used as a feminine given name, with a significant minority usage as a masculine name; during the peak of the name's popularity in the United States during the 1960s to 1970s, feminine usage was about four to five times as frequent as masculine usage.
The surname Kelly has multiple origins. There is a Clan Kelly in Scotland, possibly derived from a toponym Kelloe. The Irish surname may be from either Ó Ceallaigh or Ó Cadhla, or yet again from a toponym such as Kelly, near Arbroath or Kellie, in Fife. The surname was established in the United States by the early 19th century, and it began to be used as a masculine name in the later 19th century. Feminine usage first appeared in the 1940s and surpassed masculine usage around 1957 due to the popularity of the American actress Grace Kelly.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelly, as a girl's name, was ranked #900 in 1950, then steadily gained popularity until 1977 (peaking at rank #10); Kelly, as a boy's name, was consistently in the top 800 (but never the top 300) from 1881 to 1939, then steadily gained popularity until 1968 (peaking at rank #97). The girl's name reached two significant peaks, rank #12 in 1968, then declining to rank #23 in 1972, and again rising to rank #10 in 1977; both the girl's and the boy's name have been in steady decline since reaching their respective popularity peaks; the boy's name fell below rank #1000 in 2003; the girl's name lingers at rank #367 as of 2013.
In the United Kingdom, it made its way into the top 50 during the 1970s and by 1984 was the 15th most popular female first name. However, 10 years later it had declined to 53rd place and by 1999 had fallen out of the top 100.
Kelly Ayotte (born 1968), American politician
Kelly Brook (born 1979), English model and actress
Kelly Chen (born 1972), Chinese singer and actress
Kelly Carlson (born 1976), American actress
Kelly Clarkson (born 1982), American singer
Kelly Fraga (born 1974), Brazilian volleyball player
Kelly Haxton (born 1982), Canadian footballer
Kelly Holmes (born 1970), British athlete
Kelly Hoppen (born 1959), South African-British interior designer
Kelly Hu (born 1968), American actress
Kelly Johnson (1958–2007), English guitarist (Girlschool)
Kelly Kelekidou (born 1979), Greek singer
Kelly Key (born 1983), Brazilian singer
Kelly Kulick (born 1977), American bowler
Kelly Llorenna (born 1975), British singer
Kelly MacDonald (born 1976), Scottish actress
Kelly Marie (born 1957), Scottish singer
Kelly McCormick (born 1960), American diver
Kelly McGillis (born 1957), American actress
Kelly McGonigal (born 1977), American psychologist
Kelly Murphy (born 1977), American illustrator
Kelly Murphy (born 1989), American volleyball player
Kelly Osbourne (born 1984), English actress and designer
Kelly Poon (born 1983), Chinese singer
Kelly Preston (born 1962), American actress
Kelly Price (born 1973), American singer
Kelly Ripa (born 1970), American actress and talk show host
Kelly Rosen (born 1995), Estonian footballer
Kelly Rowland (born 1981), American singer (Destiny's Child)
Kelly Sildaru (born 2002), Estonian freestyle skier
Kelly Smith (born 1978), English footballer
Kelly Sotherton (born 1976), British heptathlete
Kelly Stefanyshyn (born 1982), Canadian swimmer
Kelly van der Veer (born 1980), Dutch transsexual and TV personality
Kelly Brown (born 1982), Scottish rugby player
Kelly Blatz (born 1987), American actor and singer
Kelly Chase (born 1967), Canadian ice hockey player and broadcaster
Kelly DeVries (born 1956), American historian
Kelly Gruber (born 1963), American baseball player
Kelly Holcomb (born 1973), American football player
Kelly Hrudey (born 1961), Canadian ice hockey player and broadcaster
Kelly Johnson (1910–1990), American aeronautical engineer
Kelly Johnson (born 1982), American baseball player
Kelly D. Johnston (born 1956), American government official
Kelly Jones (born 1964), American tennis player
Kelly Jones (born 1974), Welsh musician
Kelly Kirchbaum (born 1957), American football player
Kelly Makin (fl. 2000s), Canadian television and movie director
Kelly McCarty (born 1975), American–Russian basketball player
Kelly Monteith (born 1942), American comedian
Kelly Olynyk (born 1991), Canadian basketball player
Kelly Pavlik (born 1982), American boxer
Kelly Perdew (born 1967), American businessman, winner of The Apprentice 2
Kelly Reno (born 1966), American actor
Kelly Slater (born 1972), American surfer
Kelly Stinnett (born 1970), American baseball player
Kelly Tang (born 1961), Singaporean composer
Kelly Tripucka (born 1959), American basketball player
Private Kelly, the main character in Kelly's Heroes
Kelly Ashoona, character in Degrassi: The Next Generation
Kelly Roberts, Barbie's younger sister
Kelly, a female antagonist on the Teletoon Canadian animated sitcom Stoked
Kelly, valley girl drag persona created by Liam Kyle Sullivan first for the video "Shoes"
Kelly, signature of The Onion's editorial cartoonist Ward Sutton
Kelly Bailey, played by Lauren Socha is a Misfits (TV series)' character.
Dr. Kelly Brackett, played by Robert Fuller on the TV series Emergency!
Kelly Bundy, played by Christina Applegate on the TV series Married... with Children
Kelly Collins, DCOM in Cadet Kelly
Kelly Cramer, on the soap opera One Life to Live
Kelly Gaines, played by Jackie Swanson on the U.S. TV series Cheers
Kelly Garrett (Charlie's Angels), played by Jaclyn Smith on the U.S. TV series Charlie's Angels
Kelly Green, a minor character in the Relativity series.
Kelly Kapoor, played by Mindy Kaling on the U.S. version of The Office
Kelly Kelly, Stage name of American professional wrestler, model, and former WWE Diva Barbara Blank
Kelly Leak, baseball-playing thug in the 1976 film The Bad News Bears
Kelly Kapowski, played by Tiffani-Amber Thiessen on the U.S. TV series Saved by the Bell
Kelly Prescott, "mean girl" in Meg Cabot's The Mediator
Kelly Taylor, played by Jennie Garth on the U.S. TV series Beverly Hills, 90210
Kelly Taylor, played by Brooke Kinsella on the British soap opera EastEnders
Kelly Wainwright, played by Tanya Chisholm on the Nickelodeon TV series Big Time Rush
Kelly Severide, played by Taylor Kinney on NBC's Chicago Fire
Kelly Sutekh, a minor character in the Lorien Legacies series, is Adamus Sutekh's sister.
