Keely
A feminine name of Gaelic origin meaning "slender and fair".
Name Census estimates that about 12,073 living Americans carry the first name Keely. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Keely today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keely births was 1997 (555 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keely. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
12K
~ 1 in 28,390 Americans
Peak year
1997
555 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2006 SSA rank
#2,074
Tracked since 1957
Gender
Gender distribution for Keely
Out of the 12,654 babies given the name Keely since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Keely as a male name
- Ranked #13,066 in 2006
- 5 male births in 2006
- Peak: 1996 (6 births)
Keely as a female name
- Ranked #2,074 in 2024
- 93 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1997 (555 births)
Popularity
Keely: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keely from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 3,669 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keely by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Keely during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Keelys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 44 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Keely, while New Mexico, Connecticut, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 205 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Keely
The name Keely is an English feminine given name, originally a diminutive form of the name Cecilia. The name Cecilia itself is derived from the Roman family name Caecilius, which is of uncertain etymology but may be related to the Latin word "caecus," meaning "blind."
In the early Christian era, the name Cecilia became associated with the legendary Saint Cecilia, a Roman martyr who is the patron saint of music and musicians. This association likely contributed to the popularity of the name Cecilia and its diminutive forms, including Keely, in the Christian world.
The earliest recorded use of the name Keely dates back to the 16th century in England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Keely Halford, an English poet who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Keely. In the 19th century, Keely Stokes (1825-1900) was a British artist and illustrator known for her watercolor paintings. Keely Smith (born 1928) is an American jazz singer who rose to prominence in the 1950s and had a successful career spanning several decades.
Keely Shaye Brosnan (born 1963) is an American journalist and author, best known as the wife of actor Pierce Brosnan. Keely Hodgkinson (born 1992) is a British middle-distance runner who won a silver medal in the 800 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Keely Cashion (born 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for her work in the indie rock scene. She has released several critically acclaimed albums and has collaborated with various artists.
While the name Keely has its roots in the ancient Roman world, it has evolved over time and has been embraced by different cultures and societies. Its association with Saint Cecilia and its historical significance have contributed to its enduring popularity as a given name for girls.
People
Keely + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keely as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Keely: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keely?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12,073 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keely going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 28,390 US residents.
Is Keely a common name?
We classify Keely as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12,654 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keely most popular?
The single biggest year for Keely was 1997, when 555 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keely is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Keely a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Keely in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.