Kelly

Kelly Meaning & Origin

About Kelly
The surname Kelly is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Ceallaigh," meaning "descendant of Ceallach." Ceallach is a personal name that translates to "bright-headed" or "warrior." The name Kelly is quite common in Ireland and has spread throughout the world due to Irish emigration. It is often associated with qualities such as bravery, strength, and leadership.

🌍 Origin
📏 Surname Length
💬 Number of Syllables
🔠 Starting Letter
🌟 Popularity
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Popularity

Surname Popularity by Ethnicity

The surname Kelly is among the top 100 most popular surnames, indicating a significant presence in our records. Below is a detailed analysis of its distribution and trends:

  • Number of People with the name Kelly: 267,394
  • Overall Popularity: 0.1%
  • Ranking: 74
  • Frequency per 100k people: 90.65

Below is the ethnic distribution of the surname Kelly based on recent US Census records. This is a brief glimpse into the diverse backgrounds of people carrying this surname.

Ranking information for the surname Kelly is not currently available.

Pronunciation

📇 Metaphone
KL
🗽 NYSIIS
CA
🔊 Soundex
K040
🎵 Syllabic Pronunciation
K EH1 L IY0
🌐 IPA
/ˈkɛli/
🔊 Double Metaphone
('KL', '')
🈯 Cross-Lingual Phonetic
K400

Accessibility & Communication

How to write the name Kelly in Braille

Here's how to represent Kelly in Braille, each pattern of raised dots corresponds to a letter in the name.

The name Kelly in braille

How to sign the name Kelly using Sign Language

The image below shows how you can spell Kelly using American Sign Language (ASL). In sign language, each hand shape corresponds to a specific a letter of the name.

The name Kelly in sign language

Numerology