Kelsey
Kelsey was the 814th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 335 babies. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked 23rd with 11,713 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 470 places. More babies were named Kelsey in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning Cēol's island (English place name) · Old English
Say it KEL-see /ˈkɛlsi/
- Rank in 2025
- #814 girls, down 288 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 335girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199211,713 babies
- Total since 1880
- 155,738babies recorded
What does the name Kelsey mean?
Kelsey is an English habitational surname. Wiktionary derives it from Old English cēol, ship, a word also used as a personal name, plus īeg, island or dry ground in marsh, so "Cēol's island." The surname became a boys' name and then, from the mid-20th century, a girls' name; Wiktionary notes it was especially popular for girls in the 1990s. US records show it for boys from 1891 and for girls from 1942.
cēol (Old English, “ship; personal name Cēol”)īeġ (Old English, “island”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary only; place-name etymologies of this kind are sometimes uncertain.
Related names: Kelsie, Kelcie, Kelsi, Chelsea.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kelsey' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Kelsey popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5,322 since 1891, 14 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #814 | 335 |
| 2020 | #526 | 574 |
| 2010 | #233 | 1,349 |
| 2000 | #88 | 3,669 |
| 1990 | #32 | 9,494 |
| 1980 | #603 | 308 |
| 1970 | #1,843 | 48 |
| 1960 | #3,582 | 13 |
| 1950 | #3,555 | 10 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kelsey, counting every spelling?
Kelsey is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #587 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #814 for Kelsey on its own. Together these spellings went to 508 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelsey | 335 | #814 | 2,152 |
| Kelsie | 82 | #2,248 | 504 |
| Kelsea | 38 | #3,869 | 230 |
| Kelsi | 37 | #3,948 | 228 |
| Kelsy | 16 | #6,981 | 96 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Kelsey?
335 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kelsey (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kelsey born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 25 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kelsey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kelsey?
About 147,400 people born in the US named Kelsey are alive today, with a median age of 32; half are between 27 and 36. That makes Kelsey mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Kelsey by state
How common Kelsey was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (1.9×), South Carolina (1.9×), Maryland (1.8×), Alabama (1.7×), Connecticut (1.7×). In 18 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kelsey: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kelsey, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kelsey · Sibling names for Kelsey
Questions about the name Kelsey
What does Kelsey mean?
Kelsey means “Cēol's island (English place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kelsey?
Kelsey was the 814th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 335 babies. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked 23rd with 11,713 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 470 places. More babies were named Kelsey in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Kelsey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kelsey in the US.
Where is Kelsey most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kelsey was most common in New York (0.51 per 1,000 girls), followed by South Carolina and Maryland.