Keri
Keri was the 7686th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 14 babies. Its best year was 1976, when it ranked 173rd; the most babies were born in 1975 (1,502). Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,874 places. More babies were named Keri in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Kerry · Irish, English
Say it KAIR-ee /ˈkɛri/
- Rank in 2025
- #7,686 girls, down 285 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 14girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19751,502 babies
- Total since 1880
- 32,386babies recorded
What does the name Keri mean?
Keri is a spelling of Kerry, used mostly for girls. Kerry is the name of an Irish county and a surname; Wiktionary gives two surname origins, an English one from the Old Norse personal name Kári and an Irish one from Ó Ciardha, from ciar, "dark, black". Keri was most popular in the US in the 1970s and 1980s.
ciar (Irish, “dark, black”)Kári (Old Norse, “personal name”)
How sure is this? Probable. Kerry has more than one source; for most American Keris it is a fashionable spelling rather than a family name.
Related names: Kerry, Kerri, Carrie, Ceri.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Keri', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kerry', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
Keri popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 325 since 1958.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,686 | 14 |
| 2020 | #7,401 | 15 |
| 2010 | #2,597 | 70 |
| 2000 | #1,037 | 203 |
| 1990 | #388 | 678 |
| 1980 | #261 | 982 |
| 1970 | #329 | 802 |
| 1960 | #658 | 239 |
| 1950 | #3,151 | 12 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Keri, counting every spelling?
Keri is the most common spelling of a name family that had 19 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 19 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keri | 14 | #7,686 | 66 |
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 Keri?
14 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Keri (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Keri 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 596 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Keri.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Keri?
About 30,300 people born in the US named Keri are alive today, with a median age of 47; half are between 39 and 53. That makes Keri 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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Keri: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Keri, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Keri
What does Keri mean?
Keri means “variant of Kerry” (Irish, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Keri?
Keri was the 7686th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 14 babies. Its best year was 1976, when it ranked 173rd; the most babies were born in 1975 (1,502). Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,874 places. More babies were named Keri in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Keri a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Keri in the US.