Kelie
A feminine given name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Keziah.
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the first name Kelie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kelie today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kelie births was 1977 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kelie. 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
250
~ 1 in 1,371,017 Americans
Peak year
1977
13 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2007 SSA rank
#16,541
Tracked since 1959
Census
Kelie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 386 people with the first name Kelie, which placed it at #24,794 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#24,794
National first-name rank
People counted
386
386 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
71.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelie
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kelie is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (9.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kelie described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kelie at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 275
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 39
- Black or African American9.6% · 37
- Two or more races3.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 9
Popularity
Kelie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kelie from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 79 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Kelie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kelie 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 Kelie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kelie
The name Kelie is of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the word "cailín" which means "young woman" or "girl." It has its roots in the Scottish Highlands and was commonly used as a pet form of names like Cathleen or Caitlin.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kelie can be traced back to the 16th century, where it appeared in various Scottish records and manuscripts. It was particularly popular among the Highland clans and families, although its use was not limited to any specific region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Kelie was Kelie MacDonald, a Scottish noblewoman born in the late 16th century. She was a member of the powerful Clan Donald and played a significant role in the clan's affairs during her lifetime.
Another notable figure with the name Kelie was Kelie Stewart, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the 17th century. She was known for her lyrical works and contributed to the rich literary tradition of Scotland during that time period.
In the 18th century, Kelie Cameron, a Scottish Jacobite, gained recognition for her unwavering support of the Stuart cause during the Jacobite risings. Despite facing numerous hardships, she remained steadfast in her loyalty to the exiled royal house.
Moving into the 19th century, Kelie Mackintosh was a prominent Scottish artist known for her landscape paintings. Her works captured the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and were widely celebrated during her lifetime.
Lastly, Kelie Fraser, a Scottish activist and suffragette, made a significant impact in the early 20th century. She was a fierce advocate for women's rights and played a pivotal role in the struggle for gender equality in Scotland and beyond.
While the name Kelie may have its origins in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, being embraced by people of different cultural backgrounds. However, its rich Scottish heritage and historical significance remain an integral part of its identity.
People
Kelie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kelie 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
Kelie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kelie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 250 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kelie 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 1,371,017 US residents.
Is Kelie a common name?
We classify Kelie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 273 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kelie most popular?
The single biggest year for Kelie was 1977, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kelie is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kelie in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 386 people with the name Kelie, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,794 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kelie in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kelie?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kelie leans strongly female. 366 people counted with this name were female (96.3%), compared with 14 male bearers (3.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kelie?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kelie is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (9.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kelie most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kelie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (275 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kelie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kelie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kelie 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.
Is Kelie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kelie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kelie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How common is the name Kelie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.