Kellea
A feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "a beautiful woman".
Name Census estimates that about 32 living Americans carry the first name Kellea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kellea today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kellea births was 1969 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kellea. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kellea. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
32
~ 1 in 10,711,073 Americans
Peak year
1969
9 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1990 SSA rank
#14,059
Tracked since 1969
Census
Kellea in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 108 people with the first name Kellea, which placed it at #52,273 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
#52,273
National first-name rank
People counted
108
108 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
81.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kellea
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kellea is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Kellea 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 Kellea at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 88
- Black or African American11.1% · 12
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Popularity
Kellea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kellea from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Kellea remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kellea 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 Kellea 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 Kellea
The name Kellea is believed to have its origins in the Celtic languages, specifically in the Gaelic branch. It is derived from the ancient Irish word "caillech," which means "veiled one" or "old woman." The name was likely used to refer to a wise or elder woman, potentially a druid or spiritual leader.
In ancient Celtic societies, the caillech was a revered figure, often depicted as a crone or hag-like figure. These women were respected for their knowledge, wisdom, and connection to the natural world. The name Kellea may have been given to honor this symbolic figure or to bestow the qualities of wisdom and intuition upon the bearer.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kellea can be traced back to medieval Ireland, where it appears in various historical records and manuscripts. However, its use was relatively rare, and it was primarily found among the noble classes or those with ties to the druidic traditions.
One notable figure in history who bore the name Kellea was an Irish noblewoman from the 11th century. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her involvement in the preservation of ancient Celtic manuscripts and oral traditions.
In the 16th century, a woman named Kellea O'Donnell was a celebrated poet and storyteller in the Irish bardic tradition. Her works celebrated the heroic deeds of Irish warriors and the beauty of the Irish landscape.
Another historical figure named Kellea was a Scottish herbalist and healer who lived in the 17th century. She was renowned for her vast knowledge of medicinal plants and her skill in treating various ailments.
In the 19th century, Kellea MacLeod was a Scottish activist and educator who advocated for the rights of women and the preservation of Gaelic language and culture.
One of the most notable figures with the name Kellea was an Irish-American writer and poet who lived in the early 20th century. Her works explored themes of identity, belonging, and the immigrant experience.
While the name Kellea has its roots in ancient Celtic traditions, it has remained relatively uncommon throughout history. However, its connection to wisdom, nature, and the feminine spirit has endured, making it a unique and meaningful choice for those drawn to its rich cultural heritage.
People
Kellea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kellea 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
Kellea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kellea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kellea 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 10,711,073 US residents.
Is Kellea a common name?
We classify Kellea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 35 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kellea most popular?
The single biggest year for Kellea was 1969, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kellea is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kellea in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 108 people with the name Kellea, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #52,273 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 Kellea 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 Kellea?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kellea leans strongly female. 113 people counted with this name were female (97.4%), compared with 3 male bearers (2.6%). 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 Kellea?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kellea is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Kellea most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kellea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (88 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 Kellea in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kellea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kellea 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 Kellea still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kellea 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 Kellea 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 are called Kellea?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.