Kelin
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "bright, shining".
Name Census estimates that about 781 living Americans carry the first name Kelin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 59.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Kelin today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kelin births was 2006 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kelin. 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
781
~ 1 in 438,866 Americans
Peak year
2006
47 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,649
Tracked since 1968
Census
Kelin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,269 people with the first name Kelin, which placed it at #10,480 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
#10,480
National first-name rank
People counted
1.3K
1,269 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
50.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kelin is Hispanic at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (23.2%) and Black (17.4%). 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 Kelin 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 Kelin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino50.2% · 637
- White23.2% · 295
- Black or African American17.4% · 221
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 66
- Two or more races3.5% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Kelin
Kelin is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 799 total registrations, 478 (59.8%) were male and 321 (40.2%) were female.
Kelin as a male name
- Ranked #11,649 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2006 (30 births)
Kelin as a female name
- Ranked #16,477 in 2021
- 5 female births in 2021
- Peak: 2007 (21 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kelin on both sides of the split. Of the 1,269 people counted with this name, 520 were male (41.0%) and 749 were female (59.0%).
Popularity
Kelin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kelin from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 296 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
Kelin 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 Kelin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kelins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Kelin, while Louisiana, Georgia, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kelin
The name Kelin has its roots in the ancient Celtic language, originating in the region that is now modern-day Ireland and Scotland around the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old Irish word 'cailín', which means 'young girl' or 'maiden'. The name was initially used as a term of endearment for young women, but gradually evolved into a given name in its own right.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kelin can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a medieval chronicle that documents events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th century. In these annals, there is a reference to a woman named Kelin who lived in the late 7th century and was said to be a skilled herbalist and healer.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Kelin maintained its popularity among Irish and Scottish families. It was often associated with tales of bravery, resilience, and healing abilities. One notable figure bearing this name was Kelin of Glendalough, a 10th-century Irish monk and scribe renowned for his calligraphy and illuminated manuscripts.
As the name spread beyond the Celtic regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Kellin, Kellyne, and Kelyne. In the 12th century, there was a French noblewoman named Kelin de Montfort, who played a significant role in the Crusades and was known for her courage and leadership.
During the Renaissance period, the name Kelin gained further prominence. In the 16th century, there was an Italian painter named Kelin Veneziano, whose works adorned churches and palaces across Italy. He was celebrated for his mastery of color and composition.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, we find Kelin O'Reilly, an Irish-American labor leader and activist who fought for workers' rights and better working conditions in the United States. She was a prominent figure in the early labor movement and advocated for fair wages and safe working environments.
Throughout history, the name Kelin has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from artists and writers to scholars and social reformers. Despite its ancient Celtic origins, the name has transcended cultural boundaries and continues to be used in various parts of the world today.
People
Kelin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kelin 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
Kelin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kelin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 781 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kelin 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 438,866 US residents.
Is Kelin a common name?
We classify Kelin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 799 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kelin most popular?
The single biggest year for Kelin was 2006, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kelin is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kelin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,269 people with the name Kelin, or 0.42 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,480 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 Kelin 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 Kelin?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kelin on both sides of the split. Of the 1,269 people counted with this name, 520 were male (41.0%) and 749 were female (59.0%). 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 Kelin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kelin is Hispanic at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (23.2%) and Black (17.4%). 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 Kelin most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Kelin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.2% (637 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 Kelin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kelin a male name?
Yes, 59.8% of people registered as Kelin in the SSA data are male. 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 Kelin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kelin 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 Kelin 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 many people have Kelin as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Kelin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.