Kelci
A name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Scottish surname Kelso.
Name Census estimates that about 2,352 living Americans carry the first name Kelci. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kelci today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kelci births was 1993 (154 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kelci. 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
2.4K
~ 1 in 145,729 Americans
Peak year
1993
154 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,607
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Kelci: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kelci from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 1,208 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kelci 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 Kelci during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kelcis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. Texas, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Kelci, while Utah, North Carolina, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kelci
The name Kelci has its origins in the Gaelic language, which is a branch of the Celtic language family. It is believed to have originated in Ireland and Scotland during the Middle Ages, around the 5th to 15th centuries AD.
Kelci is derived from the Gaelic word "cailc," which means "chalk" or "lime." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked with chalk or lime, such as a builder or a craftsman. Alternatively, it could have been a descriptive name referring to someone's pale complexion or light hair color.
In ancient Irish and Scottish texts, there are no specific mentions of the name Kelci. However, similar variations like Calceach and Calcach can be found, which further solidify the connection to the Gaelic word "cailc."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kelci was Kelci of Arran, a Scottish monk who lived in the 7th century AD. He is known for his work in spreading Christianity throughout the island of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland.
Another notable figure was Kelci MacAlpin, a Scottish nobleman born in 1145. He served as a trusted advisor to King William the Lion and was instrumental in mediating disputes between the Scottish Crown and the powerful noble families.
In the 14th century, there was a Kelci O'Rourke, an Irish chieftain from County Leitrim. He is remembered for his fierce resistance against the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and his efforts to preserve the traditional Gaelic way of life.
During the Renaissance period, there was an Italian artist named Kelci Fontana, born in 1545 in Venice. He was renowned for his intricate fresco paintings and worked on several prominent churches and palaces in Venice and Rome.
In the 19th century, Kelci Garibaldi, born in 1821 in Nice, was a Italian patriot and military leader. He fought alongside his famous brother, Giuseppe Garibaldi, in the campaigns to unify Italy and is celebrated as a hero of the Risorgimento movement.
People
Kelci + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kelci 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
Kelci: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kelci?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,352 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kelci 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 145,729 US residents.
Is Kelci a common name?
We classify Kelci as "Rare". It ranks above 94.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,423 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kelci most popular?
The single biggest year for Kelci was 1993, when 154 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kelci is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kelci a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kelci 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.