Kelsei
A feminine name derived from the French surname Kesley, of uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 323 living Americans carry the first name Kelsei. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kelsei today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kelsei births was 1996 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kelsei. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kelsei with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
323
~ 1 in 1,061,159 Americans
Peak year
1996
19 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2022 SSA rank
#10,795
Tracked since 1988
Census
Kelsei in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 272 people with the first name Kelsei, which placed it at #31,478 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
#31,478
National first-name rank
People counted
272
272 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
44.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelsei
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kelsei is White at 44.5%. The next largest groups are Black (42.3%) and Hispanic (6.3%). 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 Kelsei 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 Kelsei at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.5% · 121
- Black or African American42.3% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 17
- Two or more races5.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 4
Popularity
Kelsei: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kelsei from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 117 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
Kelsei 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 Kelsei 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 Kelsei
The name Kelsei has its roots in the ancient Celtic culture, originating from the Gaelic word "caill" meaning "forest" or "woods". This name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Ireland and Scotland during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kelsei can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history dating back to the 15th century. The name was mentioned in reference to a local chieftain from County Donegal, Ireland.
In the 16th century, Kelsei McGregor, a Scottish warrior and clan leader, gained fame for his bravery and prowess in battle. He was known for leading his clan in defending their lands against rival clans and English forces.
During the 17th century, the name Kelsei appeared in various religious texts and church records in the British Isles. One notable figure was Kelsei O'Brien, an Irish Catholic priest who played a significant role in preserving the faith during the period of religious persecution in Ireland.
In the 18th century, Kelsei Mackenzie was a renowned Scottish poet and author. Her works celebrated the rich cultural heritage of the Scottish Highlands and were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
Another historical figure bearing the name Kelsei was Kelsei O'Connor, an Irish revolutionary who fought for Irish independence in the early 20th century. He played a crucial role in the Easter Rising of 1916 and was later imprisoned for his involvement in the struggle against British rule.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who carried the name Kelsei, reflecting its deep-rooted connection to the Celtic cultures of Ireland and Scotland. While the name has evolved over time, it remains a testament to the rich heritage and history of these regions.
People
Kelsei + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kelsei 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
Kelsei: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kelsei?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 323 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kelsei 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 1,061,159 US residents.
Is Kelsei a common name?
We classify Kelsei as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 330 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kelsei most popular?
The single biggest year for Kelsei was 1996, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kelsei is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kelsei in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 272 people with the name Kelsei, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,478 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 Kelsei 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 Kelsei?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kelsei leans strongly female. 268 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.1%). 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 Kelsei?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kelsei is White at 44.5%. The next largest groups are Black (42.3%) and Hispanic (6.3%). 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 Kelsei most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kelsei in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.5% (121 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 Kelsei in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kelsei a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kelsei 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 Kelsei still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kelsei 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 Kelsei 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 Kelsei as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Kelsei, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.