Kelly (given name)

Kelly /ˈkɛli/ is an English-language unisex given name, derived from the Irish surname Kelly. As such, Kelly is historically a male-only name but has predominantly been used as a feminine given name since the 1960s, though with a significant minority usage as a masculine name, especially within Celtic families.[1] 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.

Kelly
GenderUnisex
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Irish
Word/nameKelly (surname)

Etymology
Main article: Kelly (surname)

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. 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.[2]

Popularity

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelly, as a name for a girl, was ranked #900 in 1950, then steadily gained popularity until 1977 (peaking at rank #10); Kelly, as a name for a boy, 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 feminine 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 feminine and the masculine name have been in steady decline since reaching their respective popularity peaks; the masculine name fell below rank #1000 in 2003; the feminine name lingers at rank #367 as of 2013. [3]

In the United Kingdom, it made its way into the top 50 during the 1970s and by 1984 was the 15th most popular feminine first name. However, 10 years later it had declined to 53rd place and by 1999 had fallen out of the top 100.[4]

People with the name

Feminine name

Masculine name

Fictional characters
  • Private Kelly, the main character in Kelly's Heroes
  • Kelly Bennett, one of Joe’s brothers in the Green Creek Saga by TJ Klune*
  • 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, a male poker friend of Bernie on The Bernie Mac Show
  • Kelly, a character from The Ridonculous Race
  • Kelly Bailey, played by Lauren Socha on the TV series Misfits
  • 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 Kapoor, played by Mindy Kaling on the U.S. version of The Office
  • 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 Erin Hannon, played by Ellie Kemper on the U.S. version of The Office
  • 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.
  • Kelly Burkhardt, played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio on NBC's Grimm (TV series)
  • Kelly the Crane, a male character in Thomas and Friends
  • Kelly-087, a female character in the Halo video game franchise
  • Kelly, a popular mean girl in the 2019 film K - 12 by Melanie Martinez. She is portrayed by Maggie Budzyna.
gollark: You could make an arrow.
gollark: Wizardry.
gollark: (also how do you people get these 2G SAltkins aargh)
gollark: Collect dragons!
gollark: I mostly just stick my stuff in every hatchery known to man.

See also

References
  1. http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=kelly+male+given+name+v+kelly+female+given+name
  2. http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=kelly+male+given+name+v+kelly+female+given+name
  3. "Popularity of the male name Kelly". ssa.gov..
  4. http://www.babynames.co.uk
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